A Dish Best Served Cold
by Morgan Weber
Summary: Cameron tries to deal with a new living situation when he suddenly becomes an orphan. Mostly focuses on Cameron, but will be a Liason story.
1. Chapter 1

**A Dish Best Served Cold**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters, they are the property of ABC and its affiliates. I am simply borrowing them, I claim no rights to them.

**CHAPTER ONE**

Elizabeth finished loading the dishwasher, filled the cup with detergent and closed the door, quickly flipping the switch to on with the practiced movement of someone who'd done something so many times she no longer had to think through the process. A soft hum filled the kitchen as she finished wiping off the counters and her mind began to wander to the person who had been occupying a lot of her thoughts lately.

For twelve years Jason stood by and watched as another man raised his son and had the family he so desperately wanted but couldn't have. They had made the decision together, believing it to be the only way to ensure Jake's safety. It tore each of them apart, but Jason stayed away in an effort to make it less painful and over time it didn't hurt so much. There were occasions when they'd accidentally run into each other and there would be pain and awkwardness, but as the years passed they had become better at avoiding these shared places.

Elizabeth did her best to build the family with Lucky that she'd always imagined they would have. She lost herself in the day to day struggles of being a wife and mother. It helped to stay busy. She loved Lucky and she loved her boys and her life with him, but she never quite got over Jason and she knew in her heart that she would always love him, even if it was from afar. For the first few years of Jake's life she would let herself fantasize about the life she could have had with Jason if she had chosen differently, but it just caused her more pain so she stopped even considering it.

Jason threw himself into work. It tortured him that he couldn't be a presence in his sons' life, but falling in love with Elizabeth and not being able to be with her and have a family with her had reached a new level of heartache he hadn't known existed. He had tried to stay with Sam, hoping that they could recapture what they had once had, but he soon realized that his heart had moved on and it was unfair to lead Sam on. The day he told her it was over was still burned in his memory, the hurt and desperation in her voice as she pleaded with him to keep trying had quickly turned to anger. She alternated from screaming at him to blaming Elizabeth for everything, claiming she was manipulating him, just waiting for Sam to be gone so she could make her move. It didn't matter how much he tried to tell her she was wrong, she couldn't hear him through her own pain. He could almost still hear her last words to him before she slammed the door of the penthouse. "You will never be happy with her. She will never accept you in her life. You will always be miserable Jason and I won't feel sorry for you, because you and Elizabeth deserve everything you're going to get!" She slammed the door that night and he never saw her again. Alexis told him she was fine when he asked, but he'd stopped asking years ago.

They had each settled into the lives they chose. Then ten months ago Mac Scorpio came to Elizabeth's door and gave her the news she had been dreading for years. A drug bust had gone bad and Lucky had been killed in the line of duty. He was honored as a hero which was fitting since he had always been one to her and her boys. It was a difficult time and the only thing that had kept her going through the fog of loss had been knowing that she needed to be strong for her boys.

It was two weeks after Lucky's funeral that Jason showed up at her door. She couldn't really say she was surprised to see him, but she also hadn't been expecting him. So many years had passed she wasn't sure how they would fit together anymore. He stayed that night and they talked until the sun rose the next morning. They talked about all the years that had passed, they talked about Lucky and Elizabeth cried in Jason's arms as she grieved for the husband she lost. They spoke of the secret they shared and what decisions needed to be made and once again he left it up to her, trusting that she would do what was best for her sons. After Jason left that morning she had walked into Jake's room and watched him sleep. At twelve years old he was just a little over five feet with dark blonde hair that he wore in the Caesar cut, short on the sides slightly longer on top and always combed forward. When he was awake his eyes drew you in with the deep blue color and his smile could light up a room, but that morning he looked so much like a child. It was in that moment she made the decision. He had lost the only father he ever knew but he had a father that loved him that was still alive and could give him what she knew he would need in the coming years.

It was the most difficult thing she had ever done, but telling the truth was almost cathartic. She called Jason that afternoon and that very evening they told the boys together. Jake took it hard, he was angry and hurt, but Jason's calm way and insistence that he didn't expect anything from Jake had helped him and the two were now building a relationship they should have had from the beginning. Cameron had been extremely angry with her for lying and he made it clear he wanted nothing to do with Jason, pointing out that he was nobody to him. Over time he seemed to be less angry with her but there were moments she would see a look in his eyes that made her believe she had irrevocably changed something between them, like he didn't trust her anymore. When word began to circulate about the truth of Jake's paternity there were the expected reactions of anger and surprise from Carly and Nikolas. There was also support from Emily and Sonny and the unexpected revelation that Lulu had known all along.

It had been a difficult year but they were just starting a new one and Elizabeth hoped this one would be better. From how much Jason had been hanging around lately she hoped it would be a much better one. The thought of him brought a soft smile to her lips. They were taking it slow. It had been so long and she was still grieving over the loss of Lucky, but he was just as patient as ever. The sound of loud voices jarred her from her reverie and she sighed as she laid the dishcloth across the sink, washed and dried her hands and headed out to the living room. When she saw what was going on in the living room she threw her hands up in frustration.

"What is going on in here?" she cried in her most stern maternal voice. The pillows that had been decorating the couch were now lying haphazardly across the floor in different areas, obviously left behind when the boys had moved from aerial assault to hand-to-hand combat. The couch cushions were askew and two bodies struggled with each other on the floor. Cameron had Jake pinned underneath him trying to hold his arms down and use his own legs to block his brothers from causing damage. Even though Cameron had the physical advantage the younger boy would not give up. He turned and twisted his body underneath his brothers' weight, bucking and kicking like a young colt trying to break free. At the sound of their mother's question the struggling stopped, but Cameron didn't immediately release his brother. "Mom," Jake cried out plaintively, "I'm supposed to meet Spencer online to play Xbox in ten minutes and Cameron won't let me!"

"I was already watching something and he just started changing the channel without even asking," Cameron countered quickly.

"First of all Cameron let go of your brother," Elizabeth said exasperated.

"Tell him not to kick me," Cameron negotiated.

"You started it!" Jake called out as he began to struggle violently to be released. "Both of you stop," Elizabeth demanded and at the tone of her voice Cameron instantly released his hold and stood up with Jake following closely after. "Now my first question is have you both done your homework?" she asked. A quick yes was replied by both boys. Jake followed his by saying, "Mom I already had this set up with Spencer and we only get to play for 30 minutes."

Elizabeth looked at her young son and realized the little boy features she had cherished so much were disappearing. He was turning into a young man and his resemblance to Jason was so striking she wasn't sure how anyone could have been fooled about his paternity. "Do you think there was a better way to handle this situation than what you did?" she reasoned.

Jake looked down and then mumbled, "I should have asked Cam first instead of just changing the channels. I'm sorry Cam."

Cameron shook his head and grimaced. His dark brown eyes gave his mother a knowing look as he rubbed the back of his neck. His dark brown hair was short and spiky, the way he liked it, even though Elizabeth always preferred it just a little longer because he had natural soft curls that made you just want to run your hands through his hair. But he insisted that he keep it short, claiming he didn't want anyone running their hands through his hair. At just a few months past sixteen he stood just over six feet tall. He had always been small for his age but within the last year he'd gone through a growth spurt that had made him almost unrecognizable. His shoulders had broadened, arms and legs that had seemed to not quite fit now contributed to the rest of his body to show that he was going to be a very well built man. Where skin and bones had been before there was now an obvious muscular definition.

Elizabeth knew part of it was just him growing into a young man, but after Lucky's death Cameron had felt that he had to be the man of the house and he had begun working out on a regular basis. Part of her had wondered if any of it had to do with Jason coming around more often, if Cameron felt threatened in his position within the family. She just didn't know how to talk to her son about it.

He grudgingly said, "And I'm sorry for pinning you. Next time just ask," looking around the living room at the mess they had made he added, "If you help me straighten up the living room real fast I'll give you some codes to help you beat Spencer." "Deal!" Jake shouted excitedly as the two raced around replacing what they had destroyed just moments earlier.

Elizabeth looked at her watch and gasped, "I'm going to be late for work. Jake, in bed by nine. Cam, by ten and could you unload the dishwasher before you go to bed, please."

"Sure," Cameron said as he placed the last pillow back in its spot. Elizabeth grabbed her purse, kissed both boys and headed for the door. "My shift ends at 2 a.m. so you guys will have to get yourselves up for school because I will be sleeping. Both of you be good, I love you, and no more fighting," she called out.

"Okay, love you too," the boys responded as the door shut behind her.

Cameron was deep in REM sleep when a hand gently shaking his shoulder and a male voice saying his name jolted him awake. Startled, he flipped around in bed, getting his legs tangled in the sheets. "Uncle Nikolas," Cameron said sleepily as his eyes adjusted to the light pouring through his door from the hallway, "what are you doing here? What time is it?" As he asked the question Cameron looked at the digital lights glaring from his alarm clock. 2:30 a.m. Cameron felt instant fear clench his heart and squeeze. "Where's my Mom?" he was barely able to get out before his throat closed up. When Nikolas looked at his nephew there was a deep sadness in his eyes and Cam could see he was struggling to hold back tears.

"I need you to come downstairs. Jake's already down thee with Emily and Jason."

"I don't want to go downstairs. Tell me now," Cameron whispered, but he already knew. There was only one reason they would be here at this time of the night or morning.

"Cam, I think you should come downstairs," Nikolas said more firmly as he moved to the door. Cameron threw the covers off of himself and quickly pulled a pair of sweats on over his boxers. He grabbed the shirt he'd worn that night off of the floor and was just slipping it over his head when he came pounding down the stairs.

The scene in the living room confirmed his worst fear. Nikolas stood beside Emily, a comforting hand on her shoulder. Emily sat in the arm chair facing the couch. Her face was ashen and her eyes were red from crying. Jason Morgan sat on the couch, his shoulders slumped, a protective arm around Jake who was sobbing uncontrollably. When he saw Cameron he leapt up and ran to him, wrapping his arms around Cameron's waist, the force of his body nearly knocking him over. Emily stared into Cameron's eyes, so much like Zander's, and she saw the pain register and tears spring from dark brown pools.

"How?" he choked out as he held his brother against him as if trying to shield him from the answers and absorb some of his pain all at once. The adults were silent for a moment. None of them wanted to deliver this devastating news and most of all none of them wanted to believe that it was true. Finally Jason spoke up. In his usual calm manner he told Cameron the truth. "We don't know exactly what happened yet. It appears that Elizabeth was heading to work. It's possible she lost control, or had brake trouble or something but for whatever reason her car went off the road."

Jake suddenly asked with hope in his eyes, "Then is Mom at the hospital?"

Jason obviously didn't want to say the next words so Emily stepped in. She rose from her seat and crossed the room. Kneeling down she looked into Jake's eyes but she took Cameron's hand in hers. "No, honey, she's not. Your Mom was on Vista Pointe Road when her car went off the road," Emily hesitated. She had been at the accident site the last couple hours urging the searchers not to give up and the picture of Elizabeth's mangled car wouldn't leave her head. "Her car went in the river," she finally choked out. "They searched for hours but they weren't able to find her and because of where the car was and the amount of damage they don't think they will."

"But we're not giving up," Nikolas spoke up, "whatever it costs we'll keep looking."

Cameron looked into the eyes of everyone in the room. "Is there any hope that our Mom is still alive?" he finally asked. Nikolas slowly shook his head no, unable to say the words to the young man standing before him. He had expected Cameron to yell, to cry, to break things, but he did nothing. He stood there holding his brother close. "So what happens now?" he finally asked.

The sun was streaming in through Cameron's window when he awoke with a start. For a moment he thought the previous night had just been some terrible nightmare, until he noticed that Jake was asleep beside him. He extricated himself from the bed as quietly as possible and went to stand in the sun and stare out the window onto the quiet street he'd grown up on. It didn't seem right that the day should be so beautiful without his mother there to enjoy it.

He looked down on their well manicured lawn and suddenly he was six year old, sitting on his bike. He could feel his Dad's strength so close behind him as he held onto the back of the seat and Cameron pedaled. "Just keep pedaling, Cam," he heard Lucky say. He had fallen so many times that day but by the end of it he could ride his bike. Suddenly his Mom was there, a warm smile across her face and pride shining in her eyes she had taken him in her arms and he could smell the soft aroma of gardenias. "I'm so proud of you, Cam," she had softly whispered in his ear.

Cameron pulled himself out of the memory and realized his face was wet with tears. He walked to the bathroom down the hall and washed his face, then stood and looked in the mirror. "You're an orphan now," he told himself. "You have to think about Jake. He's your responsibility. Jason will probably get him since he's the closest living relative. Hopefully, he'll take me too, just to make the transition better for Jake." When he was sure he had control of his emotions he made his way downstairs.

Jason had stayed last night. He'd slept on the couch. Nikolas and Emily had to get home to Spencer, Paige, and Alan. The living room was empty when he came down the stairs. He felt like he was sleep walking. It was a strange sensation. Everything looked the same, felt the same, and yet he knew that nothing would ever be the same. His life had once again been irrevocably altered. He heard voices coming from the kitchen so he stood on the other side of the swinging door to try to hear who it was and what was being said.

One of the voices was Jason and then he heard his Aunt Lulu. "I can't believe this is happening. It hasn't even been a year since we lost Lucky. How much more can those boys take?" she cried. There was a silence from the other side of the door and then Cameron heard a muffled sob and he knew that Jason was holding Lulu as she cried. A few seconds later he heard a chair scrape across the floor and he stepped away, afraid that they were about to come into the living room.

Then he heard Lulu's voice again and stepped closer. "I mean did Liz leave a will? Did she say who she wanted to take care of the boys?"

"We talked about it," Jason said, "after Lucky died. She wanted to be prepared. I think she had Alexis draw up a will. I know she wanted the boys to stay together." Lulu interjected, "Of course. I thought she would. They're going to need each other."

"They're going to need all of us," Jason agreed. "I'm Jake's father so legally I could take him, but I'm going to wait and see what the will says before I make any decisions. I want to try to comply with Elizabeth's wishes if I can."

A voice from behind Cameron jolted him out of the conversation he was eavesdropping on. "Cam, did they find Mom?" Cameron turned and looked at his little brother. His blue eyes show with tears, his dark blonde hair still tousled from bed, he looked like a little boy.

A sudden, unexpected rage filled Cameron. He felt angry at everyone, at the world. How dare their mother be dead! How could this happen? Why did his little brother have to suffer so much pain? First his Dad dies, then he finds out his life has been a lie, and now this? He was mad that he couldn't protect Jake from all this. He was his big brother and he couldn't do anything to take away the pain or change what had happened to either of them. He didn't know what to do with all the rage and afraid that it would boil over onto Jake he just said, "No," and ran back up the stairs, locking himself in his room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters; they are the property of ABC and its affiliates. I do not claim any rights to these characters.

**CHAPTER TWO**

It had been a little over a week since Elizabeth's accident. The police had recovered the car and forensics could find nothing wrong with it, nothing that would indicate foul play. It was the middle of January and most likely she hit a patch of black ice and lost control of the vehicle. No body was recovered which again was not unusual considering the strength of the current and the way the tides had been moving at the time of the accident. The official police report ruled that Elizabeth Spencer died in a single car accident most likely caused by dangerous road conditions during inclement weather, her body unable to be recovered due to being washed out to sea.

Jason heard a muffled "come in" in response to his knock on Cameron's door. He opened the door and stood in the doorway of the teenager's room. He had never before had a reason to see Cameron's room and he really couldn't have pictured what a teenage boys' room would look like, but somehow he knew it wasn't this.

Cameron may have resembled Zander physically, but it was clear he had inherited his mothers artistic bent. The walls were covered with photographs. Not the normal family photos or posed shots. It reminded Jason of a photography exhibit he'd seen once when Courtney had dragged him to a museum, even though everything there made no sense to him. These were the moments he actually felt damaged because he knew there was something in Cam's photos that others could see and he couldn't.

Cameron was sitting on the bed tying his dress shoes. When he sat up he realized Jason was still standing in the doorway gazing around the room. "It's a hobby," Cameron said, jolting Jason back to the task at hand.

"They're nice," Jason said, hoping this was an appropriate comment. He quickly followed, "Jake's dressed and downstairs. The car is here to take us to the church. Are you almost ready?"

Cameron grabbed his black suit coat off the back of the chair at his desk and quickly slipped it on. "Are we coming back here after the service?" he asked quietly.

"I thought it would be easier if we just went straight to the penthouse afterwards," Jason replied.

"What about our stuff?" Cameron asked.

"I have people that are going to pack up yours and Jake's rooms and take it to the penthouse. It'll be there after the service. This house is going to stay the way it is until you and Jake are old enough to decide what you want to do, so if there's anything you need from here you can come back and get it," Jason replied.

Cameron nodded his head and softly sighed, "I guess it's time to go."

The soft murmur of people having quiet conversations filled the church. At the front a large bouquet of white roses surrounded a blown up picture of Elizabeth. Cameron had picked it out because he said it was the way he wanted everyone to remember his mom. It was a candid shot he'd taken of her just this last August. Her hair was long, well past her shoulders. The mass of chocolate brown curls framed her face. Her blue eyes had laughter in them that translated to the open smile that spread across her lips. She was beautiful, but most of all she had been happy in that moment and that's why Cameron had chosen it.

Cameron and Jake took their seats in the front row with Lulu and Jason on each side of them, respectively. Lulu's husband, Johnny, sat on the other side of her holding their four year old daughter Laura on his lap. Lulu reached her hand out and gently squeezed Cameron's hand. He returned the gesture, thankful that she was there. He could feel the love and support of everyone around him. Nikolas, Emily, and his cousins sat directly behind him and he knew they would always be there for him and his brother. Somehow amidst all the pain he felt safe, too.

The priest stood in front of the podium and began the service. After the normal platitudes that Cameron couldn't seem to focus on he said, "Elizabeth's best friend, Emily Cassadine, has prepared something to say." Emily rose and walked slowly up to the podium. She looked to her right and took in the picture of Elizabeth, then turned back to the audience with tears in her eyes but a smile gracing her face.

"All of you knew Elizabeth. She was kind, generous, loving," Emily's voice caught on the last word and she paused to gain her composure. "One of the most self-sacrificing people you will ever meet." Emily gazed at Jake and Cameron and continued, "She was a wonderful mother, always putting her sons' needs and interests before her own. I can't tell you how many times I went to her for advice. All of these things were fairly obvious when you spent any amount of time with her, but she had a quality that not many would have attributed to her and that was strength. When Elizabeth first came to Port Charles she was your average rebellious teenager."

Emily paused and a small smile played across her face as she remembered her friend in the infancy of their relationship. "She felt like no one in her family understood her and so she acted out to get whatever attention she could. Then something happened to her. Something that could have broken her, but it didn't. She could have disappeared inside herself and never trusted anyone again, but she didn't. Elizabeth found the strength to trust, to love someone with all her heart and to rise up and claim her life. I will always remember that about my friend. She made the choice to reach out, to find the strength to make a life for herself," Emily paused, emotion choking her last words, "and she made a wonderful one."

Emily finished with tears running down her face and with a choking sob she took her seat next to Nikolas. The priest then rose and asked if there was anyone else who would like to speak. Cameron didn't know what he was doing, but suddenly he felt himself rising up out of his seat and walking to the podium. Everyone stared in shock. None of them had expected him to say anything, knowing how much pain he must be in. Jason started to move to help him but a signal from Lulu told him that he should let the boy do what he needed to.

He stood there looking out at the sea of faces, unsure of what he was going to say, he simply turned and stared at the picture of his mother. "I took that picture," he said in a husky voice. "Every year since I can remember my Dad would take me fishing a couple weeks before my birthday. It would be just the two of us guys and we'd go to this lake up in the mountains that only he seemed to know about because we never saw anyone else. So for two days in August we'd fish and camp, roast marshmallows over the fire," Cameron paused in his storytelling, his eyes had a far away look that made it evident he was back there right then, visiting those memories. A small laugh escaped his throat, "He said we were two men with our secrets and it was our special thing. He'd tell me stories about his childhood, things he did with Grandma and Grandpa and I'd tell him what was going on in my life, all the things I thought were hidden from him and Mom. Dad and Jake had the sports thing together, but camping was all mine. I really loved our trips and I looked forward to it every year."

Cameron stared down at the wooden podium in front of him and noticed someone had doodled a diamond in blue ink. Strange, he thought to himself, he cleared his throat and continued, "My Dad died last March and I just figured it was one more thing I'd miss out on. Last August, two weeks before I turned sixteen, I came home from school on a Friday to find my Mom getting out all our camping and fishing gear. She said it was time for new and old traditions to blend together, that we were going as a family and we'd catch a fish for Dad." Cameron nodded toward the photograph of Elizabeth and said, "I took that picture on that trip, when my Mom was trying to make us feel better, when she was reminding us that we were still a family." Tears were streaming down Cameron's face but he continued on.

"I know some of you were mad at my Mom when the truth came out about Jake and everything. The truth is I was mad at her too for a while. After the truth came out she heard me in my room one night crying and she came to me, to comfort me, and I pushed her away," he said with anger and regret in his voice.

The tears had stopped but Cameron's voice was still full of deep emotion as he continued to tell everyone there about his mother. He knew now what he wanted to say and he wanted to be sure everyone in attendance heard it. "I called her a hypocrite. I told her she preached to me and Jake about always telling the truth when she held onto a lie that tore our lives apart. When she left my room she stopped in the doorway and told me something I'll never forget," Cameron paused, taking the time to look out at the sea of faces hanging on his every word, all of them feeling so much pain for this young boy pouring his heart out before them. "She said I was right. That she had lied about something life altering and she couldn't take it back. She said she wasn't perfect, she made mistakes, but that she'd done her best to learn from them."

Cameron's words were now coming more quickly as he tried to get it all out before he lost control, "She said her greatest sorrow was that she disappointed me and Jake that she'd never intended to cause us pain. Then she walked away and we never talked about it again. I never told her I forgave her. That I know she made the best choices she could at the time. We all make mistakes. Some can be fixed and some we regret for the rest of our lives. My biggest regret is letting my Mom think I was disappointed in her because nothing could be farther from the truth." Suddenly there was a lump in Cameron's throat and he found it difficult to speak but he had to finish, they had to know. "She wasn't a perfect person, but she was a perfect mother and I loved her," he choked out before he stumbled to his seat, blinded once again by tears he could no longer hold back.

The rest of the service was a blur to both of the boys. They received condolences from faceless people and walked around in a daze. The trip to the penthouse with Jason was made in silence. They followed him into the strange surroundings and he showed them each to their rooms that had been miraculously set up exactly as they had been at their house. Both boys went immediately to bed and fell into deep grief-induced sleep.

Cameron awoke with a start, unsure if some outside influence had roused him awake or if it had been a dream. It was dark, but the moonlight streaming through the window made it possible to see shapes. Jason's men had done as good a job as possible making Cam's stuff fit in his new room the way it had in his old one, but to Cameron it just didn't feel right for it to be the same. Nothing was going to be the way it was and he needed to accept that. He determined that he would rearrange everything as soon as possible.

He looked at the clock on the nightstand. It read 12:15. He was no longer tired but he didn't know what to do. If he had been at home he would have quietly made his way downstairs and had a late night snack, but he wasn't home. Jason's place didn't feel like home and he didn't think it ever would. The only reason he was here was for Jake. His mother's will had been very specific about Jason having custody of Jake; however she had given Cameron a choice. She said her wish was for him to stay with Jake but she realized that it may be difficult for Cameron to be under the guardianship of someone that he didn't know and was not family. Therefore, she gave him a choice. Live with Jason and Jake or live with his Uncle Nikolas and Aunt Emily who would make sure he saw Jake as much as possible.

He had talked to Nikolas about the decision. For himself he wanted to live with Nikolas, but he knew that Jake needed him so for now he would try living with Jason for Jake's sake. Nikolas had understood but made it clear to Cameron that he was welcome at Windemere whenever he pleased. Jason hadn't seemed either happy or unhappy about Cameron's decision. He just said it was Cameron's life and he should do what he thought was best, but he would give Cameron whatever help he needed. The man was hard to read and Cameron wasn't sure what to think of him.

Cameron got out of bed and turned the light on. He browsed along his bookshelf but knew he was in no state of mind to read anything. He decided to arrange and clean his camera bag and gear. It always helped clear his mind and lift his spirits. He searched in the closet and under his bed but he couldn't find any of his equipment. With a painful jolt he remembered that he had left it all in the study at his house. Jason's men hadn't brought it because their orders were to only move the boys' rooms and nothing else.

Cameron had an overwhelming urge to be at home, not just to get his stuff that was left behind, but to be near his family. His entire life he had lived in that house with the only family he'd ever known. It was his home and he needed to be there, to feel the warmth that being within those walls had always given him. The decision made, he quickly began getting dressed.

There was still another full week of January left so he dressed warmly, wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt, a grey hoody, and another coat on top of that. He grabbed his house key out of his sock drawer and picked his shoes up out of the closet. Turning the bedroom light off he slowly opened the door. He paused, listening carefully for the slightest signal that he had awakened anyone else in the house. Everything remained still so he carefully closed the door and as stealthily as possible made his way downstairs. The only light was from a lamp that had been left on in the living room. Cameron quietly unlocked the door and walked out. As he waited for the elevator to come all the way to the top floor he quickly slipped on his shoes. A small smile of anticipation crossed his lips as the elevator doors closed and he was gone.

Jason's eyes shot open and his hand instinctively reached for the 9 millimeter Glock he kept in the bed stand drawer but he stopped when he realized there was no immediate danger. When he heard movement coming from Cameron's room down the hall he realized what had awakened him. Jason lay quietly in bed wondering what the boy was doing, not sure if he should check on him or let him be. When Jason heard Cameron's door open and close he decided he would at least check to see if he needed anything.

He quietly got out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and t-shirt. As he got to the top of the stairs he heard the door to the penthouse close. His first instinct was to run after Cameron and find out where he thought he was going at 12:30 at night but he stopped himself. He knew Cameron was weary of him and the whole living situation. Emily had spoken to him and Jason knew the only reason Cameron was here was because of Jake. What Jason wanted most was to do right by Elizabeth. She had entrusted him with the care of the two most precious people in her life. The responsibility of that weighed on him heavily and he wanted her trust in him to be warranted.

He quickly and silently ran back up the stairs and into his room. Grabbing his cell phone off the dresser he flipped it open and said, "Call Tony." Within seconds there was a voice on the other end. "Tony, Cameron's headed down in the elevator right now. I need you to follow him, but stay out of sight. I'll be right behind so when you have a direction text me."

"Sure thing, Boss," was the immediate reply. Jason quickly got dressed, holstered his gun in his jeans, grabbed his leather jacket and made his way out of the building as quickly as possible.

It had been a long walk but keeping a brisk pace had helped him stay warm. Cameron slid the key in the door and turned the lock. The familiarity of the action made him feel good and he walked into the house like he had a thousand times before. He turned on the lights and for a moment it felt like nothing had changed. Then Cameron realized everything was there except what had made this house a home…Elizabeth.

With a sick feeling in his stomach he knew that he could never be in this house again. It was just too painful. He made his way up the stairs and walked down the hall towards the study needing to get the whole ordeal over with now. He softly mumbled to himself, "Just get your gear and go." As he was passing the door to what used to be his parents room he realized it was slightly ajar. He paused in front of it and seemingly unable to stop himself he reached out and slowly opened the door.

_Cameron stood in the doorway, the light from the hallway illuminating the bed. Lucky raised his head up off the pillow and sleepily asked, "Cam, what's wrong?" Cam's little legs carried him slowly up to Lucky's side of the bed as he dragged his small blue blanket behind him. _

"_I had a bad dream," he said with a tiny voice that was still scared about whatever he had dreamed. His tiny cheeks were wet with tears, his soft brown hair damp with sweat. He looked over his Dad's shoulder when he saw his Mother rise from sleep to find out what was going on. "He had a bad dream," Lucky said and Cameron watched as his Mother's eyes told Lucky what she wanted and Lucky assented. Without a word Lucky reached out and helped Cameron climb into bed, his tiny arms and legs treating Lucky's body as if it were a mountain he was climbing over. He settled down between them and then snuggled up to his Mother's soft, warm body. He could smell the gardenia lotion she always put on before bed and it made him feel safe. Elizabeth's hand gently brushed the tears from her son's face as her lips pressed against his warm forehead. "Can you tell Mommy what your dream was about?" she asked gently. _

_His voice was muffled against her neck as he said, "I was in the park and I got lost but when I found you and Daddy there was a big hole in the ground and you both fell in and I couldn't find you and I was scared and crying for you but you couldn't come."_

"_Oh honey," Elizabeth said with sorrow in her voice, "I'm sorry you had such a bad dream, but it was just a dream. Daddy and I are right here and we're not going anywhere." She pulled his little form close into her arms. Cameron felt his Dad snuggle up from the other side as he wrapped both Cameron and Elizabeth up in his strong arms. As Cameron fell back to sleep he knew he was safe and it had just been a dream._

Cameron couldn't remember how he ended up on the bed, but he lay there clutching a pillow to his chest, his knees curled up in a fetal position as painful sobs racked his body. It was a physical pain, the loss he felt and he cried out in agony. There was no one here to hear his cries, no one he needed to be strong for. He could finally release all the anguish he'd been suffering.

Jason stood like a statue in the hallway, his head lowered in pain for the boy that he now saw and heard finally letting himself feel the pain of his loss. Tears fell from Jason's eyes and he wanted to go to Cameron and try to comfort him, but he knew there was nothing he could say or do and obviously Cameron felt he needed to grieve in privacy. Jason silently left the house, stopping briefly to speak to a tall muscular blonde man standing on the sidewalk. "Make sure he gets home safe but don't let him know you're watching him," Jason said firmly before he walked into the cold night.

"Consider him already home, Boss," Tony said to the retreating figure as he shoved his cold hands into his pockets grateful that his wife had stuck hand warmers in them before he left for his shift tonight.

Cameron wasn't sure how long he had been lying there. He had cried until he was exhausted. He rolled onto his stomach and just lay in his parents' bed sniffling even though the tears had finally stopped. He realized how much he had needed this. It was a relief to finally let it all go, to not hold in the pain he felt. He glanced at the watch on his left wrist to check the time. Just a few minutes after 2 a.m.

Remembering what he had come for he reached his right hand over the edge of the bed and was about to roll himself into a sitting position when his fingers grazed something hard protruding from under the bed. A questioning frown creased his face as he pulled back the bedspread to reveal what had been covered over.

It was a large leather box. He recognized it as one of many his Mom had kept photographs in but those she had stored in the garage. Cameron quickly knelt down on the carpeted floor and pulled the box completely out. It was larger than a shoebox but still short enough to slide under the bed. He was nervous about what he would find, not sure he was ready for another emotional breakdown. But something inside him was saying to open it. With shaking hands he slowly removed the lid and when he saw what was inside his frown deepened.

Why would his Mom put books inside a box and then store them under the bed he asked himself. There were about fifteen of them, all approximately the same size. He pulled one out and instantly realized it wasn't a book, it was a journal. He felt a tingle of excitement mixed with trepidation as he opened the book and stared down at Elizabeth's writing. He quickly pulled one out after another, flipping them open to find all of them were filled with his mothers' slow curving penmanship.

"Oh my God," he whispered. He had no idea she had kept a journal and from how many there were it looked like she'd done it for a long time. Cameron felt a sudden joy at the realization that he still had a piece of his mother in these journals.

Jumping to his feet Cameron ran down the hallway to the study and flung open the closet door. He quickly found the camera bag he had originally come for and opening it up he took out all the rolls of film, the cleaning equipment, and finally the camera and left them all on the desk. He ran back down the hallway, unsure of why he felt the need to hurry or the need to keep his discovery a secret, he filled the camera bag with the journals, placed the lid back on the box and slid it back into its hiding place. He then zipped up the bag, slung it over his shoulder and headed out the door making a mental note to pick up his camera gear tomorrow. As he locked the house behind him and took off for the Harborview Towers he didn't notice the blonde man step out the shadows and keep pace with him.

For the first couple days she'd been in the room she had been sick to her stomach and had even vomited a couple times. She wasn't sure why until the first full night she spent there and she could feel the room rocking and swaying. It was then that she realized she was on some sort of ship. The motion sickness finally went away, but the feeling of panic had not.

She wasn't sure why she was being held here or even who was holding her. When she first woke up she was disoriented. The last thing she remembered was driving to work. She had been running late and then she came to a detour on her normal route. One of the workmen had come up to the car and she had rolled her window down, and then….and then what? Then she woke up here. She looked around the room that she had become extremely familiar with.

It was approximately 8 feet by 8 feet, cold and grey. She was provided with a cot, a toilet, and a sink. On one wall there seemed to be some sort of video screen but she hadn't been able to find any way to turn it on. The door had no handle on the inside and it was only opened from the outside twice a day. She had become accustomed to the schedule.

At 6 a.m. the door would open and a very large man wearing a ski mask and holding some sort of submachine gun would come in followed by another large man wearing a ski mask carrying a tray with food. The first morning the tray had also included necessary toiletries she would need, some toothpaste and a toothbrush. She had almost felt grateful until she remembered she was a prisoner. At 6 p.m. the ritual would be repeated and this was the only contact she had with her captors.

They never said a word. She didn't know what they wanted. The days had begun to stretch into monotonous time periods and she wasn't quite sure how long she'd been there anymore. It had been perhaps a week or more and she had tried everything she could think of to get answers or find some way to escape without being killed by the men in masks. It was during one of the many times that she walked around the room looking for any crack in the structure that she discovered speakers built into the wall.

Unsure if whoever was on the other end would only use them to speak to her when they chose or if they could hear her as well she decided to try to get some attention. "I don't know who you are," she said, trying to sound braver than she felt, "or why you've kidnapped me, but you really ought to let me go. I have friends that will miss me, very powerful friends. If it's money you want I'm sure we can work something out, but you need to make that decision soon because they will look for me and they will find me. They can be dangerous and I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, so if you just let me go now there will be no harm done and we can all just move on like nothing's happened."

The electric buzz of a television being turned on suddenly came through the room and the screen on the wall lit up. It took her a moment to figure out what she was watching. It was the inside of a church, she saw her friends and family all gathered together and she stared at the screen in confusion. Then Emily's voice came over the speakers and Elizabeth realized that she was giving her eulogy.

Elizabeth turned sheet white. Feeling faint, she slowly lowered herself to the cot as she watched in shock and disbelief. She could see all of them, friends from the hospital, police officers she'd had over to her house for barbecues when Lucky was alive, her family. She focused in on the front row and she saw Jason sitting there with Jake next to him. She could see that he was sitting up straight, trying so hard to have a brave face, but she could see the pain in his eyes and she wanted to reach out and pull him to her.

With horror she watched Cameron rise on shaky legs and stand in front of everyone. Her heart ached for her son and as his words filled the room she could hear the pain and grief in his voice. Tears flowed freely down her face as she frantically ran to the door and began pounding on it, screaming at the top of her lungs for them to let her out. "My son's need me! Please, let me out!" she cried.

The television screen suddenly went dark and Elizabeth held her breath expectantly, hoping to hear the now familiar click of the door being unlocked. What she heard instead was a disembodied robotic sounding voice over the speaker system. "Your threats mean nothing to me," it said. "No one will come after me. Not Sonny Corinthos, not Nikolas Cassadine, not even Jason Morgan. They all think you're dead Elizabeth and they will continue to believe that for as long as I want them to. So make yourself comfortable because no one's coming to rescue you, they're not even looking for you."

As the realization of her situation sunk in Elizabeth slowly collapsed in a heap in front of the door. Her sobs echoed within the room that she had until now thought of as only temporary. Jason wasn't coming. She had clung to the knowledge that he would never stop looking for her until he rescued her, but now, knowing that he wasn't even looking, that he believed her to be dead, the hope she had clung to slipped away. A new anguish washed through her as the thought entered her mind that she would never hold her boys again.


	3. Chapter 3

**Note:** I just want to thank everyone that's been reading the story. I'm so glad you all seem to like it. I'll try to keep the updates coming regularly. This is my first fan fic, so it's been really encouraging to read your reviews.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters. They are the property of ABC and its affiliates; I claim no rights to them.

**CHAPTER THREE**

It had been a restless night for Jason knowing that Cameron wasn't safe inside the penthouse had caused him more worry than he'd realized it would. His mind had kept drifting to Elizabeth. He couldn't stop thinking about her, about how their friendship had begun and all the things they'd been through to get to where they were before he lost her. He knew he needed to stop beating himself up with the regrets but he just couldn't get it out of his mind. All the "if only's" wouldn't leave him alone. He tried not to think about the last time they'd been together, but it was futile and so he finally gave himself over to the memory.

_As Elizabeth reached to pick up the plate in front of Jason he gently put his hand out to stop her. "Let me do that," he said softly but firmly. He didn't realize he was still holding her hand until he noticed her eyes glance down and he self-consciously pulled away and rose from his chair. "It was really kind of you to invite me to dinner the least I can do is clean up," he said as he brought the dish to the sink and began rinsing it off._

_His back was turned so he missed the playful spark that shined in Elizabeth's eyes and the small smile that flitted across her lips. "I'll let you help me clean up, but I'm not leaving you in here to do it all by yourself," she consented. "I was actually being a little selfish," she continued as she gathered dishes and began piling them near the sink. "It's really not a kindness to feed anyone my cooking, but I really wanted the company tonight. You'd think with two boys I'd enjoy a little peace and quiet when they were away, but I've become so used to all the noise the quiet makes me uncomfortable now," she finished with a soft chuckle._

_A smile spread across Jason's face as he replied, "Well I would have to say that time and practice have actually helped your cooking a little. At least it wasn't soup," he said laughingly._

"_Don't worry," she said laughing along, "I know better than to serve you soup when you aren't injured with a bullet hole." They continued to work in comfortable silence, Jason washing the dishes as Elizabeth rinsed and dried. Since it had just been the two of them for dinner she had decided to do them by hand instead of using the dishwasher._

_Jason's voice suddenly broke the rhythm of water sloshing around and running. "So are they spending the night?" he asked Elizabeth about the boys._

_Elizabeth instantly smiled at the mention of her sons. "Jake is. You know he and Spencer are practically inseparable, it's adorable really. Cameron should be home by 9 though. He was asking me for more camera equipment and Nikolas was there so he offered Cameron a part-time job. I guess it's not even really part-time, but it's nice because he can earn his own money and learn some responsibility."_

"_What's the job?" Jason asked. He admired Elizabeth for doing her best to teach her sons good life lessons, but then he'd always known she was a great mother._

_Elizabeth chuckled and said, "Mucking stalls. No, seriously," she continued at the look Jason gave her. "He goes over to Windemere three times a week and works with the horses, makes sure the stalls are cleaned out and that all the tackle and bridles are well maintained. It's actually really good for him, plus he gets to spend time with Nikolas and Emily which he really enjoys."_

_Jason nodded with a smile. "I know Emily really loves him. She talks about him and Jake all the time," he finished quietly. Elizabeth stopped drying the dishes and looked at Jason with pain in her eyes._

"_I know we agreed that we wouldn't say we were sorry," she said quietly, "but I am. I know how painful it must have been to hear Emily all those years telling you about Jake and not being able to share in it."_

_Jason finished rinsing the last dish and taking the towel from her he dried it. Slowly he raised his eyes to hers, each of them brimming with tears of regret. "The past can't be changed. We made the best decision we could at the time and yes, it was painful, but I get to see him now. He knows the truth now and I'm tired of regretting the past. It's done and we should just move on," he said determinedly. A smile spread across his face as he said softly, "Besides I'm here with you now."_

_Elizabeth's heart began to race at the way he said that and she swallowed hard. Feeling suddenly flustered she quickly turned to put the dried dishes away. Grabbing one of the bowls she opened the cupboard and stood on her tiptoes to put it on the shelf. "Let me get that," Jason said as he moved behind her and reached over her shoulder, taking the bowl from her hand and easily placing it on the shelf. The warmth from his body being so close to her enveloped her like some intoxicating aroma and she suddenly found it difficult to breath or think._

_Jason instantly felt the electricity between them and he realized he didn't want to wait anymore. He was tired of taking it slow. His hands slowly made their way to Elizabeth's hips and he forced her turn around and face him. Her breathing was coming faster and he could swear he could hear her heart pounding faster, or was that his heart. He searched her eyes for any sign of hesitation but found none._

_He had forced himself to forget how good it felt to kiss her. All of it came flooding back now. That wonderful night they had spent together, the way she felt in his arms, how she had leaned against him as he held her. He pulled his thoughts back to the present to fully enjoy what was now happening._

_Elizabeth's hands instantly went to his face, her fingers lacing into his hair, pulling him closer to her. Oh God, she had missed him. His body shifted as he pushed her against the counter and pushed himself against her. A soft moan escaped her lips as the kiss deepened._

"_Mom, I'm home," came a loud cry from the living room. Elizabeth and Jason separated as if they'd been shocked by electricity. Jason quickly wiped his mouth, afraid there may be some sign of lipstick as Elizabeth tugged down the shirt that had been on its way to the floor. The door to the kitchen swung open and Cameron strode through with a smile on his face that quickly disappeared when he saw Jason. "Hey," he said in a belligerent tone._

_Elizabeth began hurriedly grabbing dishes and continuing to put them away. "Hey honey, I didn't expect you home so early. I asked Jason over for dinner since my two guys abandoned me tonight. Did you eat at your uncle's?" she asked in quick succession as she tried to get control of her emotions and calm her racing heart._

"_Yeah, I already ate," Cameron replied. He looked at Jason and then watched his mother moving quickly around the kitchen. She was ruffled and nervous and Jason's hair seemed to be a little messy. Realizing what he'd walked in on Cameron glared at Jason. "I'm home now, so you don't have to keep her company anymore," he said pointedly._

"_Cameron," Elizabeth said disapprovingly, "Jason is my guest and you're being rude."_

_Jason could see the anger in the boys face and said, "It's okay. I actually have some business I have to take care of." Turning to Elizabeth he said, "Thank you so much again for dinner. I'll call you." Nodding goodnight to Cameron he walked out of the house._

Tears fell from Jason's eyes as he sat on the edge of his bed and let himself mourn Elizabeth. He heard Cameron come home and felt a rush of relief, but he was still unable to sleep. He knew what he needed and grabbing his jacket again along with the key to his motorcycle Jason headed out for the second time that night.

As soon as Cameron got back to his room he emptied the canvas bag of its contents. A few of the journals were bound in brown leather but the majority were black. They were all about the size of the average paperback novel. Cameron reverentially ran his hands over a few of them.

This was what was left of his mother, her history, how she felt, what she thought. Cameron grabbed a random one and opened it up. It was then that he realized there was no date on the page. He flipped through the pages and found a few dates, putting this one around spring through summer of 1998. That was before he was born. Logically he knew she had a life before him, but seeing proof of it gave him a strange feeling.

He soon regretted being so haphazard about storing the journals. Elizabeth had not been consistent about writing the date. She had simply written what she felt or things that were going on. There were even a few pages with sketches on them. He paused and stared with sadness at a sketch of Lucky. He looked like he was around Cameron's age in the picture. He looked so carefree in the picture; Cameron was amazed at how well his mother had captured the mischievous glint in his eyes.

When Cameron had grabbed the journals he hadn't paid any attention to whether or not there was any order and now he wasn't sure which one he should read first. He picked one up and hesitated before opening it. He was suddenly unsure if he should read them at all. They were her private thoughts and he was sure there would be things in them that she would never have wanted him to know. At the same time he reasoned with himself, she's gone and this is a way for me to remember her and to know her in a way I never did before. With the first entry he read he wasn't sure he was going to want to read any more.

September 2000

I don't know how everything got so messed up. This is crazy. Lucky and Nikolas had a plan, we had a plan and then Emily showed up. I knew she couldn't stay away. I should have done something, stopped her or something, anything. Now she's gone. Lucky and Nikolas had their sights on Zander, but then Emily showed up, and then the cops showed up and it all went wrong. Emily's gone and I can only pray that Zander doesn't hurt her. That drug-dealing piece of slime, if he hurts her at all there will be hell to pay. I can't let myself think like that. Emily is going to be okay. Jason and Lucky are on their trail and when they find them they'll take care of Zander. Emily just has to be okay. She has to.

Cameron glanced around the room as if looking for answers to the questions now racing through his mind. His parents had always been open and honest about the fact that Lucky wasn't his biological father. He had never really had many questions about Zander Smith, Lucky had been all the father he wanted or needed. Now, after reading what Zander had done he wondered how exactly he was conceived. He was a drug-dealer, he apparently had kidnapped his Aunt Emily; how could it have happened that Zander and his mother would ever have gotten together after that? Was it possible that Zander had…? Cameron couldn't finish the thought. The idea that anyone had done that to his mother made him see red. Needing an answer he read the next entry.

October 2000

They found them! Emily is home safe and sound, well at least safe anyway. I guess the whole ordeal was really hard on her because now she's trying to protect Zander. She refuses to say she was kidnapped and won't file any charges. I'm so thankful for Jason and Lucky. They found them just in time. Zander was about to take her over the Canadian border. I'm not clear yet on all the details, but Emily begged Jason to let Zander go so he's free somewhere in Canada. I just hope he stays there. Juan was so worried about Em, we all were, but now she's home and we can try to put the whole thing behind us. I talked to her a little and according to her Zander isn't such a bad guy, he just found himself in a bad situation. I don't know. Part of me thinks she has that Stockholm Syndrome thing, but at the same time Emily's always been a pretty good judge of character. As long as he stays out of Port Charles I think everything will be fine.

Cameron skimmed through the next few entries trying to find something else about Zander and what had happened, but all she had written about for the next few pages was sappy stuff about how much she loved Lucky and how confused she was by his behavior. He wondered about that and the references to Helena reminded him of stories Lucky had told him about the Spencer-Cassadine War, but now what he most wanted to know about was his biological father. He had to find out more about Zander's history. "What's that?" he heard Jake ask from behind him.

"Whatever happened to knocking?" Cameron snapped at his brother without thinking.

The pain that registered in his brother's eyes at his sharp tone made him instantly regret his reaction.

"I'm sorry," Jake stammered, "I wasn't sure you'd be awake and if you were still sleeping I didn't want to wake you up."

"No, I'm sorry Jake," Cameron apologized as he gathered the journals and put them in a dresser drawer. "You just surprised me. They're just some books I have. How'd you sleep?" Cameron asked as he changed the subject.

"Fine," Jake said. He looked uncomfortable as he continued, "I don't think Jason's here. I'm hungry. Do you think we should just make our own breakfast?"

Cameron stood and placed a hand on the back of his brother's neck as he steered him out of his bedroom and down the stairs. "Yeah, we don't have to wait for him. I mean, we're living here now so we should just make ourselves at home, right?"

Cameron had just given Jake his bowl when Jason came in the penthouse door. He looked up surprised at seeing the boys already up then checked his watch. "I didn't realize what time it was. I meant to make you guys breakfast on your first morning here," Jason said apologetically.

"That's okay," Cameron said, "I can take care of Jake." He stared at Jason as if to tell him that he wasn't needed. Jason saw the challenge but he chose to ignore it. He had talked to Emily about Cameron's hostility towards him and they had decided the best course of action would be for Jason not to engage unless absolutely necessary.

"What is that?" he asked Jake, keeping his tone light.

"Eggs in a bowl," Jake answered, the food in his mouth making it difficult to speak in a clear manner it sounded more like effs in a boo.

"Sounds interesting," Jason said as he looked at the concoction in Jake's bowl. "Looks good. Did you make that Cameron?"

"Yeah, it's pretty easy," Cameron replied. He looked back into the kitchen as if trying to make a decision and then turning back to Jason but making no eye contact he mumbled, "You want some?"

Jason didn't feel particularly hungry but he saw the opportunity to take hold of the small olive branch Cameron seemed to be extending so he said, "Sure, that'd be great."

Cameron went back into the kitchen and made Jason and himself an exact replica of what Jake was now consuming. It was actually a pretty simple breakfast. He put a slice of buttered toast in a bowl, placed an over-medium fried egg on top of that, another slice of buttered toast and then another egg. Then you just cut it all up and eat it out of the bowl, eggs in a bowl.

They all sat in the living room eating their breakfast since Jason's pool table took up the place a dining table would have been. He had never thought that eating with people could be so enjoyable, but sitting there with his son on one side of him and Cameron in the chair across from them as they ate Jason realized it was one of the most content moments of his life.

"So where were you?" Jake suddenly asked as he speared his last piece of toast and used it to swipe up the last remaining bits of egg.

"I couldn't sleep so I decided to go for a motorcycle ride early this morning," Jason replied to Jake, but as he said it he kept his eyes on Cameron. Even though he recovered quickly Jason still caught the slight jolt of reaction from him as he realized Jason probably knew he had not been in his room most of the night.

"That's so cool," Jake continued, oblivious that anything else was going on between Jason and Cameron. "Do you think sometime you could take me for a ride on it?" Jake asked with excitement and hope in his voice.

"I think once we get you the right safety gear that could be arranged," Jason replied, ecstatic that he could bring his son some kind of enjoyment amidst everything they were going through. He knew it was going to be a long time before any of them were really alright, but even a little bit of healing felt good.

He cleared his throat and then continued, "There's something I need to talk to you both about and it's very important so I need you both to listen carefully," Jason paused until he saw a nod from each boy and knew that he had their undivided attention. "I know your Mom and I talked to you before about my job and that it can be dangerous, especially for the people around me. I know you've occasionally seen guards around, but from now on each of you will have your own guard assigned to you. There'll be two and they'll rotate so that you will always have a guard with you whenever you leave this house."

"Are you kidding me?" Cameron suddenly shouted. "You think I'm just going to sit by and let you spy on me?"

Jason looked at Cameron sharply and held his temper in check. The last thing he wanted to do was yell at Cameron but he needed to understand how important it was that he stay with his guards. "They're not spies, they're guards," he said firmly. "They are not going to report back to me everything you do. They're there to protect you. Now if you do something or go somewhere dangerous then yes, they will let me know about that, but you need to understand the importance of staying with your guards."

"This is ridiculous," Cameron interjected angrily. "We have lost everything important to us and now we have to live with you in this, this prison!" he spat out.

Jason remained quiet, but firm as he said, "I'm sorry for everything that you've lost Cameron. I know that you're hurting right now, but Elizabeth trusted me to keep you and Jake safe and that's what I'm going to do. There will be no more sneaking out in the middle of the night. You will not ditch your guard. When you leave this house one will be with you at all times and that is final."

Tears of anger sprung to Cameron's eyes. He felt enraged. How dare this man tell him what to do! How dare he throw his mother in his face and act like he cared about her or them or anything but himself! "I hate you," he said vehemently as he violently tossed his empty bowl on the coffee table and ran upstairs.

Jason breathed in slowly and tried to hide the hurt he felt at Cameron's words. He knew the boy was in pain and was just lashing out, but it still stung. He felt Jake shaking next to him and suddenly realized his son was quietly sobbing. He put his bowl down and pulled the young boy into his arms, holding him tight as he cried. "I'm sorry Jake," he whispered.

"I want my Mom," Jake cried in a choking sob. "Why did this happen? Why did she have to have the accident? I don't understand," he continued to cry against Jason's chest.

Jason pulled him closer, his heart aching for his son, wishing he could just take all the pain away. "I don't know why it happened, son. It was just an accident. Sometimes accidents happen."

"But it shouldn't have happened. Why was she even on that road?" Jake continued to cry, his voice now taking on a hint of anger.

"She was just driving to work, like she did all the time," Jason tried to reason with him.

"But why did she take that road?" Jake insisted, "It was the long way and she was running late that night. Why did she have to take that road?" Jake asked once more as he continued to cry. Jason's heart skipped a beat at Jake's last statement. She was running late that night. Why would she take the scenic road to work if she was already running late? He held Jake in his arms until he'd stopped crying and Jake asked if he could call Spencer. As soon as Jake was busy laughing with Spencer on the phone about some prank his cousin had pulled on his sister Jason reached for his own cell phone and called a number.

"Spinelli, I need to see you right away," he said into the phone, "meet me at the office." Jason flipped his phone shut and continued to sit on the couch, staring into nothing, his mind racing at the implications of what Jake had said. He kicked himself for not asking the question sooner.


	4. Chapter 4

**note: **tHIS IS A PRETTY SHORT CHAPTER BUT i WANTED TO GET SOMETHING UPDATED AND THE NEXT CHAPTER IS GOING TO BE QUITE A BIT LONGER, SO IT MIGHT BE A FEW DAYS BEFORE ANOTHER UPDATE. hOPE YOU ALL KEEP LIKING THE STORY, i ENJOY READING THE REVIEWS AND APPRECIATE ALL YOUR COMMENTS.

**Disclaimer:** i DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS, THEY ARE THE PROPERTY OF abc AND ITS AFFILIATES; i CLAIM NO RIGHT TO THEM.

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Corinthos-Morgan Coffee Imports had gone under many renovations throughout the years. On its own the profits would have made Sonny and Jason extremely wealthy men, but everyone knew it wasn't their main business. Everyone knew it, but no one could prove it. Since the Zacchara truce over six years ago they had been able to expand even farther. Johnny and Sonny had made a very lucrative deal, effectively merging their cash base at a sizable percentage for Johnny, while leaving Sonny in control of 80 of the shipping piers in Port Charles.

Even though things had been quiet for a long time, both Sonny and Jason knew that the moment they let down their guard would be the moment it all came crashing down around them, so they remained on alert always afraid their choices would cost them someone they loved. Now Jason was afraid it already had and he hadn't been awake enough to catch it.

He strode quickly through the old warehouse, the rich smell of coffee permeating the air around him. When he reached a long corridor that contained four doors he chose the first one on his right and walked in. Spinelli was already there. His messy brown hair was still just a little too long and very unruly, constantly falling into his eyes. He sat at his desk, an opened orange soda bottle to his right, his state of the art computer already booted up and ready to go, he spun around and smiled as Jason entered the room.

"Stone Cold, it is an honor to be graced with your presence this fine morning. Your phone call sounded of a most dire nature. Of what may the Jackal be of service?" he asked in his most solicitous tone. With more than thirteen years of friendship between them Jason had become accustomed to Spinelli's eccentricities. He was older now and wiser, with more responsibilities, but with a few people he could still completely be himself. He'd learned to slow down and control his speech around Sonny and any business associates he may have to be in contact with, but for the most part he was the same.

"How's Georgie?" Jason asked. He had other things on his mind, but he knew that Georgie was having a difficult pregnancy this time and he was concerned for his friend.

Spinelli smiled with joy, "The Wondrous Wife is doing much better this morning, thank you for asking. Her sister has taken the Tiny Jackal to the park so that she may get some much needed rest."

"Good, you guys need anything you be sure to let me know," Jason said distractedly.

"I am sure Stone Cold has not requested this appointment with the Jackal in order to procure an update on the Wondrous Wife's condition," Spinelli said in his round about way of asking what Jason wanted.

"Jake told me something today that I wasn't aware of before," Jason said as he ran his hand through his hair, frustrated that he hadn't thought to ask the question himself.

"And what did the Young Progeny say?" Spinelli asked, now very curious at Jason's distracted behavior.

"He said Elizabeth was late for work the night she died," Jason replied. He paused, looking at Spinelli, waiting for him to make the connection himself. When he didn't Jason realized he would need to spell it out. "Elizabeth's car went off the cliff on Vista Pointe Road. We all assumed she hit some black ice on her way to work, but Vista Pointe Road is not the fastest way from her house to the hospital. Why would she take the scenic route to work if she was already running late?"

Spinelli's eyes widened at the implications this new information created. "Mr. Corinthos Sir made sure there was nothing wrong with the Maternal Ones vehicle. He wanted to be sure the Bumbling Boys in Blue didn't miss anything. I thought we were certain it was an accident," he said rapidly trying to stem the flow of hope now filling Jason's eyes. He didn't want it to be false hope. He knew the last thing his best friend needed was to lose Elizabeth all over again.

"I know," Jason said exasperated, "I know there was nothing wrong with the car, but why was she on that road. I need to know that. Spinelli, I need you to hack into every camera possible from the night of the accident. I need you to follow Elizabeth's car and find out why she took that route." Jason paused and looked at Spinelli, his face reflecting the strong determination that had given him his nickname, "If someone did something to her, if someone else is to blame for us losing her, then I need to know who and they will pay."

"The Jackal will use all the means at his disposal to give Stone Cold the answers he so desires," Spinelli answered quietly.

As Jason turned to leave he stopped and looked back at the man already frantically typing away at the keyboard. "And Spinelli," Jason paused until Spinelli looked back at him over his shoulder, "keep this between you and me for now. The last thing those boys need is to find out someone took their mother from them the way they took Lucky."

Spinelli nodded his agreement and turned back to his computer unsure whether he was hoping to find something or not.

Cameron stood at his locker slowly transferring books from his previous class and getting the history book he needed for the next class. He had missed over a week of school and was now so far behind he wasn't sure how he would ever catch up. A soft feminine voice to his left made him turn with a smile already spreading across his face. "Walk me to history?" she asked with a slight tilt of her head.

He had been friends with Molly Lansing since he let her have his purple crayon in the third grade. They had soon discovered that they were distantly related, though not through blood. His uncle was her cousin, but since Nikolas wasn't his blood relation Cameron didn't really consider himself related to Molly. She was his friend that he could talk to, share things with, and just plain hang out with. In the last year he had realized his feelings for her had changed, but he was too afraid to alter their friendship to let those feelings be made known. So they remained just friends.

"I know you've probably been asked a million times already," Molly said softly gazing at Cameron with concern in her soft brown eyes, "but how are you doing?"

Cameron gave her a half smile and nodded sadly. "I'm hanging in there. Although all the homework I've ended up with makes me wish I'd never come back to school."

Molly took the hint that Cameron didn't want to talk about his Mom right now and plowed ahead with the change of subject he had offered. "Hey, Mr. Evans gave us this massive history assignment. We have like three weeks to finish it. It's due by Valentine's Day and he was assigning partners and I got you," she said playfully slapping his arm as she continued to speak rapidly about what he had missed. "We're starting the Civil War and each team has been assigned to create a reenactment of a major battle. We got Gettysburg, which is totally awesome, and we're going to be graded on the accuracy of the actual battle but also on the creativity of what we use to make it."

Cameron stood there listening to her as a smile slowly spread across his face and for the first time in almost two weeks a slight twinkle returned to his eyes. He loved to hear her talk. She'd get so excited about something and just start rambling and the more excited she got the faster her speech came. His mind started to wander to the fact that he also loved the way her light brown hair just brushed across her shoulders and how when she was concentrating really hard she'd always tuck a few strands behind her right ear. He forced his mind back to listen to the rest of what she was saying.

"So I thought maybe we could meet up after school and brainstorm some ideas, maybe get a head start on every one else because you know they're all going to wait until the last minute," she said with a smile. "Plus I'll get to see where you're living now," she added quickly.

"Sounds like a plan," Cameron replied. He'd been so entranced listening to Molly that he hadn't noticed the three boys stop and stand right next to them until one of the boys spoke up.

"Molly, just so you know when you go from me to him it's called slumming," he said with a sneer distorting his face. He laughed and looked to his buddies for support. They got the cue and laughed also. Cameron's eyes narrowed at the obvious insult, but he remained silent. Wes Baker was a Neanderthal. Just under six feet and built like an ox, he was captain of the wrestling team but to Cameron he was just another mindless idiot roaming the halls of the only place on Earth he'd ever be top dog. The drones that followed him would always be followers since they were incapable of a singular independent thought. They did what Wes told them to do.

"Just keep walking Wes, you'll embarrass yourself in front of your boyfriends," Molly said with derision in her voice.

Wes' eyes blazed with anger but surprisingly he kept his cool. He glanced at Cameron and saw his jaw clench. Realizing he was having an effect on the younger man he decided to push it just a little bit farther. "You were much nicer the other night. Sweet, even," he looked at Cameron with a knowing glint in his eyes, "I'm sure she'll taste just as good the second time around."

Cameron didn't realize what he was doing until his fist had already connected with the boys jaw. Before Wes could recover Cameron lowered his right shoulder and slammed into the boys' chest, driving him across the hallway and slamming with such force into the opposite lockers that they shook with a loud crash. He began punching his left fist as quickly as he could repeatedly into Wes' side. He felt hands grabbing him, trying to pull him off, but the rage that had been building up in him, that he'd been able to check so far, had suddenly found an outlet and he couldn't stop.

He ripped his right arm free and with another well placed punch he hit Wes in the face again. He felt cartilage crunch under his knuckles and saw Wes drop to the ground, blood flowing from his nose before suddenly the wind was knocked out of him. Too late, he realized the hands pulling him back had been Wes' drones. He dropped to his knees trying to get his breath and then a pain shot through his head as he took a punch to his face. He could barely hear Molly screaming for help over the ringing in his ears. He felt repeated pains in his ribs and realized that he was now being kicked when it suddenly stopped.

He lay on the cold hallway floor, exhausted and trying to regain his breath as security grappled with the two boys that had been beating him. As he tried to rise to his feet he looked up and saw Molly standing in the crowd, tears streaming down her face. He quickly looked away feeling ashamed that he was the cause of her tears.

The patch job at the nurse's station consisted of antibiotics for his knuckles that had torn open with the first punch, a butterfly over his left eyebrow, and a towel to stem the bleeding from his lower lip. While he was sitting holding the cool towel to his lip a freshman girl came in and handed him the slip he'd been expecting. He was requested in the Principal's office.

"Mr. Morgan we all understand that Cameron is going through a difficult time right now and we want to be as much assistance to him as possible," Mr. Collins said firmly, "however this school has a very strict policy when it comes to violence. If he had been defending himself it would be a different story, but all witness accounts say that he threw the first punch. This is very unlike Cameron, so I'm sure that a lot of it has to do with the changes he's dealing with, but there are many teenagers in this school dealing with family issues as well and I can't have fights breaking out in our hallways with no consequences." The principal appeared to be calm, but in reality his heart was racing and his palms were sweating. He knew what kind of reputation Jason Morgan had and he was terrified of him. He swallowed hard waiting for Jason's response.

Jason slowly rubbed his hand on the side of his face as he tried to figure out what to do. "What's the punishment you're suggesting?" he finally asked.

Mr. Collins inwardly sighed with relief. "Since this is his first offense we will take into account the circumstances, but I'm afraid we must suspend him for three days."

Jason nodded in agreement. He thought to himself that maybe three more days without school would help Cameron somehow, but he also knew that he needed to have a serious talk with the young man. "Okay," he said as he rose from his seat, "should he pick up any work now or will he need to get that when he comes back in three days?"

Mr. Collins rose as Jason did and reached out his hand to shake the enforcers. He was shocked by the strength of the handshake, but did his best to hide it. "Cameron already has enough homework from the week he missed. I think he'll be fine picking up the rest when he comes back to school on Thursday. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help make this time of grief any better for Cameron."

"Thank you," Jason said as he left the principal's office. Cameron was sitting in the same place he'd been sitting when Jason first walked into the office after getting the phone call that he needed to get to the high school. He was slumped in the chair, his eyes downcast; he refused to look at anyone. He just kept fiddling with the hem of the t-shirt he wore. Anger filled Jason's eyes as he saw the damage done to Cameron's face, his lip already swelling to twice its normal size, his left eye beginning to turn a yellowish purple. He cursed the school for not allowing the guard past the front door. If they had been allowed to stay with Cameron into the school no one would have been able to lay a hand on the boy.

Cameron glanced up in that moment and seeing the look on Jason's face he glued his gaze once again to the floor. He knew he was in trouble, he just didn't know how much. He'd never been in a fight before there was no precedence for the kind of punishment that he would now receive, but the look on Jason's face scared him. What if he kicks me out? I have to stay with Jake, he thought to himself, suddenly in a panic.

"Come on," Jason said quietly, "you've been suspended for three days. We'll get whatever books you need and you'll have plenty of time to catch up on what you missed last week." Cameron visibly winced in pain as he rose from his seat. "Are you alright?" Jason asked with concern.

"It's just my ribs," Cameron said, trying to be tough even though the pain was excruciating and it hurt just to breath, "I think they're bruised."

"We'll call Emily when we get home, maybe she can come over and check you out," Jason said. He wanted to reach out and help him walk he was in such obvious pain, but he thought Cameron probably wouldn't want that. Not from him anyway, so they walked in silence to his locker and retrieved his books. Jason took the bag from Cameron without asking, knowing from his own past injuries how much it hurt to carry anything when you have rib injuries. The ride home was just as silent as the walk down the hallway.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters they are the property of ABC and its affiliates; I claim no rights to them.

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The silent car ride home allowed Cameron's mind to race with all the possibilities of his impending punishment. By the time they walked through the penthouse door he was almost choking on the panic his own imagination had created. As Jason closed the door behind them and dropped Cameron's bag on the floor by the desk he turned to face him and blurted, "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have hit that guy but I wasn't thinking clearly. Please," he pleaded to Jason with tears glistening in his eyes, "don't send me away. I'll do better. I need to be with Jake." Cameron paused to take a breath and whispered, "He's all I have."

Jason stared in shock for a moment at Cameron's sudden outburst. He had noticed his discomfort in the car, but he hadn't learned yet how to read him and didn't know what had been going on in the boys mind. He quickly hid the hint of a smile that threatened to appear at the realization that Cameron was very much his mother's son. He held onto things, mulling them over in his mind until they built into such turmoil that they'd spill out like a dam suddenly bursting.

"You're not going anywhere," Jason reassured him. "I would never separate you and Jake."

A wave of relief swept over Cameron as he geared himself up for the answer to his next question. "So what's my punishment?" he asked holding his breath for the response.

Jason seemed confused at first and then realized that Cameron expected more punishment than the suspension. "Why don't you sit down and tell me how the fight began," Jason suggested.

Cameron slowly eased himself onto the couch favoring his sore ribs. Jason sat down on the coffee table so he could have eye contact with the young man without having to twist his body around. Cameron cleared his throat and then recounted for Jason the events leading up to the fight. It was difficult for him to maintain control when he heard how the two other boys had teamed up to kick Cameron. When he'd finished the story Cameron looked down and just stared at his knees. Jason decided to employ a tactic he'd used many times with Elizabeth to get her to tell him everything she was truly feeling. He waited.

Suddenly Cameron looked up with tears in his eyes. "She'd be so disappointed in me," he choked out trying so hard not to cry in front of this man. Jason unconsciously reached out and took Cameron's hands in his own.

"No, she wouldn't," he answered vehemently.

"Yes, she would," Cameron argued, "she hated violence."

Jason took a deep breath and sighed. "Listen to me Cameron. I know for a fact that Elizabeth was extremely proud of you and she always has been. You and Jake were her favorite topics of conversation. She loved to tell people how artistic you are and what a kind and caring big brother you are. Nothing that happened today would have changed that. It's true that she didn't like violence and fighting, but let me tell you something about your mother. When it came to protecting the people she cared about she would fight with everything she had for them. That's what you did today and she would understand that. I think your Mom would be proud of you," Jason said and pausing he added, "I know I am."

Cameron pulled his hands away from Jason's and wiped the few tears that had fallen from off his cheeks. He was confused by the kindness Jason was showing him and didn't know how to respond. "So I'm not in trouble?" he asked finally.

As Jason got up to answer the knock on the door he responded, "I think three days suspension is punishment enough, but that doesn't mean I condone fighting. It's always better if you can find a different solution."

Emily stood on the other side of the door with a medical bag in her hand. "Hey Jase," she greeted her brother with a warm smile and a soft kiss on the cheek then she moved to where he had been sitting across from Cameron and placed the bag on the floor at her feet. "Cameron," she said with concern, "you want to tell me what happened?"

Cameron looked toward Jason with a new found respect in his eyes. "I was defending a friend," he said turning back to look straight into Emily's eyes. Emily gazed slowly from Cameron to Jason and back again. She was sure something had happened but figured she'd talk to Jason about it later. "Okay, well let's get you checked out," she finally said reaching down and unclasping her bag.

She shined a light in his eyes, checked to make sure there was no concussion, listened to his heart and lungs, and felt his ribs. She could tell Cameron felt embarrassed taking his shirt off for her so she finished the exam as quickly as possible. "There's no concussion," she told him and Jason who had stood by anxiously awaiting the results, "and everything seems to be fine. You have some severely bruised ribs but I'm fairly certain they're not broken. Take some Tylenol to reduce the swelling and if the pain doesn't lessen in the next couple days come into the hospital and we'll do some x-rays." She looked at Jason and said, "It might help him if you wrap his ribs, just to keep him a little less mobile." Then she turned to Cameron and with a smile said, "And you, no more brawls until you're all mended. Got it?"

Cameron smiled back and promised, "I don't plan on any more for a long time."

Emily began packing up her bag when Cameron suddenly said, "Aunt Emily could I talk to you," he looked towards Jason then finished, "in private?"

Jason looked surprised by the request but started to leave the room when Cameron spoke again. "Jason, it's nothing against you. We could go to my room so you don't have to find something to do. I just need to talk to Aunt Emily about something private." Jason looked at the young man could see that something was on Cameron's mind and he realized that he needed to talk to someone he already had a relationship with, not someone he was just now getting to know. Jason nodded that he was okay with the request and watched as Cameron and Emily made their way up the stairs.

When the door was closed behind them Emily asked, "So how are things going here?"

Cameron sat down at his desk chair and winced from the pain that shot through his rib cage. "It's okay," he answered. Then he paused and with a small smile said, "It's an adjustment period, right?"

Emily sat down on the edge of Cam's bed and gave him a knowing smile. "I'm glad you feel you can confide in me Cam. What did you want to talk about?"

Cameron swallowed hard, unsure of how to get the information he was looking for. "At my Mom's funeral you said that something bad happened to her," Cameron began slowly hesitating with each word.

Emily suddenly looked very uncomfortable. She hadn't considered that he would wonder about that and now she was terrified she'd have to be the one to tell him.

"Was it my Dad?" Cameron finally asked even though he was terrified to hear the answer.

Complete surprise registered on Emily's face as she replied, "No. Lucky was one of the best things to happen to your Mom. She loved him very much."

"I didn't mean Lucky," Cameron explained, "I meant Zander, my biological dad. I never asked her about him." Cameron paused. He was hesitant to tell Emily about the journals so he decided to only give her a portion of the truth. "I found an old journal of Mom's and I saw his name in it. She wrote about how he was a bad guy, dealing drugs and kidnapping you, and it just doesn't make sense to me that she would have willingly been with someone like that. So, I was wondering," he said the last part with difficulty, "if the bad thing that happened to her led to my birth."

Emily let the silence settle in the room while she collected her thoughts. "Elizabeth never told you anything about Zander?" she finally asked.

"She told me he died before I was born. She said if I ever wanted to know about him I could ask her, but I just never asked and now," Cameron took a breath and sighed, "now it's too late to ask her."

Emily chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip as she tried to decide how to tell Cameron about a father he never knew. "I should say first of all that it can be dangerous reading someone else's journal. You might find out things you didn't want to know and I'm sure there would be things that she didn't want you to know. To put your mind at ease the answer is no, Zander never hurt your Mom."

"Are you sure?" Cameron interrupted. "I mean how well did you know him?"

Emily gave Cameron a smile and said almost in a whisper, "I was married to him. He was my first love."

"Oh," was Cameron's only reply.

"When we first met Zander he was in a lot of trouble. He'd gotten involved with a mob boss named Sorel who was at war with Sonny and trying to run drugs in Port Charles. He was forcing Zander to sell drugs. He felt like he didn't have a choice, Sorel would have killed him. When the police raided a rave that we were all at Zander felt cornered so he took me as a hostage in order to escape." Emily chuckled softly at the memory of those weeks with Zander on the run. Sleeping in the car, convenience stores, and grape pixie sticks, as unglamorous as it sounded it was one of the first adventures of her life and it had been so romantic at the time. She continued telling her story to Cameron.

"It's hard to explain, but we fell in love. He escaped to Canada and I came back to Port Charles, but Zander was the kind of man who would risk his own safety and well-being in order to be with the person he loved. He came back to Port Charles and we fought to be together. We were up against my family, most of my friends, and he was still in a lot of danger from Sorel. But Zander wanted to have a better life and I wanted to be with him, so we decided to run away. We were teenagers and all we cared about was being together. The bus we were leaving town in was in an accident and I ended up getting hurt very badly. I broke my back and for a while we weren't sure I'd be able to walk. Zander felt so horrible, but he wanted me to get the help I needed so even though it tore us apart he made me go to California to a special rehab facility for my back."

It had all happened so long ago and yet as she related her knowledge of Zander's life to Cameron it was almost as if she were reliving it. "I was away for a long time," she continued, "and during that time Zander and your Mom became close friends." She gave Cameron a soft smile and said, "Zander couldn't seem to keep himself out of trouble and Elizabeth couldn't stop trying to save troubled men. They were there for each other during a confusing, dangerous time in both of their lives and it drew them closer but they were never really in love. Elizabeth was trying to get over Lucky and deny her feelings for Jason and Zander was trying to let me go."

A questioning look crossed Cameron's face, but he decided not to interrupt her. He could get other details later; right now he just wanted to know as much as Emily could tell him about Zander. "When I came back to Port Charles I was sick and I didn't want anyone to know so I pushed them away, but Zander wouldn't stay away. He still loved me and I still loved him and he could sense that." Emily softly chuckled to herself at the memory of her stupidity. "He married me when we both thought I was dying. And then I got better and I realized that through the whole ordeal I had fallen in love with Nikolas." Emily paused in her relating of her story of Zander, remembering the pain in his eyes on Halloween night when he'd walked into their home and saw her with Nikolas. "I broke his heart," she whispered then she tried to collect her emotions and continue.

"Your Mom was dealing with her own relationship problems and they just ended up together that night."

Cameron's brow wrinkled as he said, "I'm the product of a one night stand?"

Emily shook her head, "No, you're the product of two old friends who cared for each other coming together in need of comfort. Cameron, Elizabeth loved you from the moment she knew she was pregnant and Zander wanted you. I have no doubts that if he had lived you would have been the great joy of his life."

Cameron looked at Emily, his mind trying to take in everything she had just told him. From what she said it seemed that his Dad hadn't been too bad of a guy. It seemed to him that he'd made some poor choices that he'd been unable to escape from. Cameron suddenly asked in a low voice filled with emotion, "How did he die?"

Emily closed her eyes remembering that horrible night, the sound of the gunfire, the weight of his lifeless body in her arms and she knew she couldn't tell Cameron everything. She cleared her throat. "Zander had made a lot of mistakes," she said trying to be delicate in her response, "and he hurt some people. He felt as though he'd lost everything and everyone he loved and he didn't believe he'd be a good role model for you. He forced himself into a stand off with the police and pulled a gun." Emily quickly added, "He didn't die alone Cam. I was there, your Mom was there, if that helps at all. I want you to know though, that Zander was a good man who just made some bad choices. I loved him and I carry his memory in a special place in my heart."

Cameron was quiet for a moment and then he said, "Thanks. I wish I would have talked to Mom abut him. It would have been nice to know how she felt about him."

Emily stood and gave Cameron a warm hug being careful not to squeeze too hard. "Anytime you have more questions feel free to ask me," she said, "I kind of enjoy talking about him."

Their embrace was interrupted by a soft knock at the door. Emily moved to open it and found Jason standing there looking uncertain if he'd interrupted too soon. At a look from Emily he realized he hadn't interrupted and so he announced why he had knocked in the first place. "Cameron, you have another visitor," he said as he moved aside and revealed Molly Lansing standing in the hallway with a nervous expression on her face.

"Well, we'll leave you two alone," Emily said as she pushed Jason back out the door and let Molly in. Before she closed the door she gave Cameron one last smile and said, "I love you. Come see us at Windemere soon."

An awkward silence filled the room as the two teenagers stood there desperately trying to figure out what to say. Molly finally broke the silence, "Nice room. I like this place, it's bigger than it seems."

"Yeah, it's alright," Cameron agreed with a shrug. "Listen," he said hurriedly, "I'm sorry about today. I shouldn't have swung at Wes, especially with you so close. You could have been hurt or something."

Molly slowly started wandering around his room gazing at the pictures on the walls, running her fingers lightly over decorative objects, occasionally picking up a book and staring at it as if it were the most interesting subject she'd seen in a long time. "I heard you got suspended," she said while flipping through a copy of Watership Down by Richard Adams.

"Yeah, for three days," he confirmed.

"When you come back you won't have to worry about any kind of payback. It seems a little birdie let it get around the school that your guardian is Jason Morgan and the rumor is Troy and Kevin are so scared they're begging their parents to move out of town and change their names."

Cameron laughed, "A little birdie, huh?"

Molly looked at him a smile spreading across her face. "That's just what I heard," she answered coyly as she walked closer to him. She reached her hand up and gently touched above his eye where the butterfly bandage was. "Does it hurt?" she asked as concern replaced her joking tone.

"Not too much," Cameron answered, his breath catching at her touch. "I'm sorry if I scared you," he told her softly.

Tears glistened in her eyes as she said, "I just can't stand to see you hurt and I couldn't do anything but scream for help. You know how I hate to feel helpless."

"Sorry," Cameron said again.

Suddenly frustrated Molly said angrily, "Stop saying you're sorry. You did it defending me and you didn't even have to."

"Yes, I did," Cameron shouted back. "I couldn't stand there and let him say things like that. Not about you."

She was surprised at how strongly Cameron defended his actions but it was a good surprise. In his quick response he'd been unable to hide the emotion in his voice and she could see his feelings for her in his eyes. He couldn't hide behind their friendship anymore. She wouldn't let him. "What he said wasn't true," she said quietly.

"What?" Cameron asked, confused at her sudden change of voice.

"I've never been with Wes," she continued speaking in a low voice as she slowly came closer to Cameron. "We were at the same party last week. He was drunk and came on to me so I kneed him in the groin and left. I've never kissed him. The truth is," she continued now stopping inches from Cameron who was finding it suddenly difficult to breathe normally, "I would never kiss him because I'm interested in someone else."

"Oh," Cameron breathed and swallowing hard he asked, "who?"

Smiling in answer she gently touched his swollen lip with the tip of her finger and asked, "Does this hurt?" Cameron simply shook his head no as Molly moved in and gently placed her lips on his. It did hurt but he didn't care. His hands found her neck as he cupped the base of her head in his hands and pulled her lips closer. He had wanted this for so long he could hardly believe it was really happening.

They were suddenly interrupted by the bedroom door being flung open. They parted quickly to see Molly's enraged father standing in the doorway. "This isn't happening," he hissed as he grabbed his daughter by the arm and pulled her out of the room and down the stairs with Cameron following quickly behind.

"What are you doing Ric?" Jason demanded as the group reached the living room.

"I'm taking my daughter home," Ric spat at the man he'd hated from the moment he met him. "I haven't worked so hard to keep her away from this life to have her be dragged into it by some teenage version of you."

"What are you talking about Dad?" Molly pleaded, "Cameron's my friend, he's always been my friend."

Ric had always been amazed at how smart Molly was, how quickly she learned things, and how confident she was in herself. She was the best parts of him and Alexis and looking at her now he knew he'd do anything to keep her safe, even if that meant that she hated him. "That was before Jason became his father," he said to her.

Cameron shouted in argument, "He's not my father!"

"He might as well be," Ric responded. "He's your guardian Cameron and to all his enemies that makes you a target. There's a reason why you have guards and it's not so he can keep an eye on you. It's to try to keep you safe from the people who would hurt you to get to him. What he doesn't tell you Cameron," Ric continued now getting into stride with an argument he'd made a million times, "is that he can't keep you safe. The guards will do no good because if his enemies want to get to you they will. And I won't have my daughter caught in the crossfire."

"I would never let anything happen to Molly," Cameron countered.

"Really? Do you think the principal didn't call me today Cameron? Do you think I don't already know that my daughter was the prime witness in a fight that you started?" Ric paused and shook his head in disappointment. Turning to Jason he said with disgust, "He's already turning into you. Elizabeth was so blind when it came to you all she could ever see is what she wanted to see, but she chose to ignore the violence that you create. If she'd been thinking clearly she would have never left those boys to you."

"You shut up about my Mom!" Cameron shouted in anger. "What do you know about her anyway? You were just my Dad's boss. You don't know anything about my Mom!"

Ric gave Cameron a malicious smile and was about to set the boy straight when Jason interjected. "Just leave Ric," he said firmly, his body language making it clear to Ric that he shouldn't push the matter.

"Keep him away from my daughter," he said as he dragged Molly through the door and slammed it behind him.

The two men standing in the living room were left now in a deafening silence. "I'm sorry," Jason finally said. "I'm sorry that living with me has cost you one more thing."

Cameron looked at Jason with pain and anger in his eyes. "Whatever," he said as he headed back up the stairs. What he didn't tell Jason was that the anger wasn't directed towards him. He was angry with Ric. "If he thinks he's keeping me away from her he's delusional," Cameron thought to himself as he entered his room and pulled out his mother's journals. He was determined to learn everything he could about Ric Lansing.

There had been nothing else since her captor had made the initial contact by letting her know that everyone believed her to be dead. The realization that no one was coming for her, that no one was even searching for her, had sunk in slowly over the following days sending Elizabeth into a deep depression. She ate the food they brought and just laid on the cot thinking about all the people she loved that were grieving for her. She just couldn't find the energy to do anything about her situation or think of anything but her children.

She heard the buzz of the television screen turn on and sat up quickly on the bed to stare at the screen. She recognized the scene instantly as Cameron's school. She could see him clearly, talking to Molly and some other boys when suddenly he attacked one of the boys he'd been talking to. She watched in horror as her son was kicked repeatedly, her body reacting physically with each blow and then the screen went black. "Why are you doing this to me?" she screamed in rage and agony. "Why are you doing this to my children?"

The robotic voice filled the room, "I didn't do anything to your children. You did this. You caused all of this with your lies and your superior attitude. You don't deserve to be happy. You don't deserve the perfect family." Even though the voice was distorted to hide its identity Elizabeth could hear the rage building in the person behind the screen. "What are you planning?" Elizabeth asked. "You can't possibly just keep me here and just keep showing me glimpses of the pain my boys are in."

"My plan," the voice replied, "my plan is to give you exactly what you deserve. You'll get to watch your boys grow up. You'll get to see glimpses of moments in their lives, but only the moments I decide to show you. You get to die alone, because to them Elizabeth you're already dead."

She could tell she wasn't going to get any more information from her captor. Elizabeth sat on the cot remembering the rage she saw on Cameron's face and she knew that whatever it cost she had to get back to him. "No more," she said to herself. "They think I'm weak. That I'll just sit here and wait for a rescue that isn't coming. They're wrong." She felt a determination she hadn't felt before settle within her and deep in her heart she knew that one day she would hold her sons again. Even if it was the last thing she did.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Sorry this update took so long. I wasn't really happy with the last chapter. It felt rushed so I decided to take my time and really give my best, plus I wrote the last chapter mostly between the hours of midnight and two, so once I read it in the light of day and with a clear mind I was just a little disappointed in myself. So hopefully you all like this and where the story is going. Please continue to give feedback; I enjoy reading all the reviews.

Also even though Cameron has read the journals I will have him flashback to what he read so some of her journal entries will still be in the story. It just made more sense for him to read them all the way through instead of just hunting and reading portions. They'll be identified by italics. Since this is my first fan fiction I've been experimenting with trying to create noticeable breaks to different scenes so please bear with me.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters they are the property of ABC and its affiliates. I claim no rights to them, it's just a story.

**CHAPTER SIX**

Cameron's three days of suspension flew by. He kept himself busy getting caught up with his school work and reading Elizabeth's journals. What he had read was difficult to digest but he had decided to cope with one thing at a time. He was fairly certain that Molly had no idea about the things her Dad had done in the same way he hadn't known so much about his Mom's life before him.

He wasn't sure what he would say to her on his first day back, but as it turned out he didn't need to worry about it because he didn't see her until sixth period history class. He was excited at the opportunity to talk to her, remembering that they were assigned together as partners for the semester project, but one look from her and he realized something was wrong. She sat three rows away from him at an angle which prevented him from making eye contact with her unless she tilted her head in a certain way.

He tried to get her attention until Mr. Evans' voice interrupted him. "We're going to have a slight change in the partnering for our semester project so if any of the involved parties have already started on it come to me and we'll work something out," he said. "Molly you are now paired with Peter and Morgan your new partner will be Cameron."

He was frustrated at the realization that he now had no excuse to talk to Molly and throughout the rest of the class he seethed with anger at Ric. He imagined all the ways he would like to make him suffer but in the end he knew he couldn't do any of them because it would inadvertently hurt Molly as well. When the bell finally rang he hastily grabbed his books and pushed his way through the sudden crowd of students until he reached a quickly retreating Molly.

"Mol," he said as he laid a hand on her arm in an effort to get her to stop. When she turned to look at him he could see that she was fighting back tears.

"I can't talk to you Cam," she said sadly. "My Dad's forbidden it and he's called the school. The teachers will report to him if they see us together. I'm sorry," she whispered as she disappeared back into the sea of people flowing through the hallway. Cameron simply stood there in shock and anger and watched her leave.

I think things are going pretty good," Jason said with a half smile. He sat on one of the plush couches in the main room at Windemere. Emily sat in a large overstuffed chair diagonally across from him holding a glass of water in her hands. She was glad Jason was taking the time to update her on everything with the boys. Plus she always enjoyed a visit from her brother. It had been a very difficult few weeks.

At first she was so busy with everything that had to be done it was almost as if Liz was just on vacation. Now that things had slowed down she found herself deep in the grieving process. Just the other day she had walked into the kitchen to find eight year old Paige showing five year old Alan how to make Aunt Elizabeth's Famous Brownies. Her first instinct had been to call her friend so they could laugh together about the mess the kids had made. She had already hit the speed dial button when she remembered with a soul shaking shudder that no one would answer. Nikolas had found her weeping in their bedroom and tried to comfort her but now, talking to Jason, she knew this was what she had needed.

"You know Jake, he's still pretty quiet, but he's just that way. He seems to be settling in well." Jason thoughtfully rubbed the edge of the glass he was holding as he spoke. He had been thinking about something for a while and he wanted to get Emily's opinion, but he was also waiting on a call from Spinelli and he didn't want their conversation to be interrupted when he had to leave abruptly. He had been hounding the computer genius for answers until finally Spinelli had told him if he wanted answers quickly he needed to be able to work for at least two hours without interruption. Jason had taken the hint and backed off even though he was desperate to know what the younger man could find.

Since he didn't have a time frame from Spinelli he decided to go on with his idea with Emily. "Even Cameron's hostility towards me has subsided," he continued with a half smile.

"That's so wonderful," Emily responded. "I knew with time he'd come around. He's so much like Elizabeth there's no way he could stay mad at you anyway."

Jason smiled softly as he thought about the two boys he loved and the mother they lost. "I was thinking about getting them each something and I wondered if you'd give me your motherly opinion."

Emily laughed out loud and said, "Sure."

"Jake is really into sports and so I found out from Michael that baseball season is going to be starting in a couple months. I thought I could get some season tickets to the Mets for him. It would give us an opportunity to hang out doing something he loves."

"He would love that," Emily interjected.

"Good," Jason said nervously. He seemed unsure about telling her what he wanted to do for Cameron so he prefaced it with an explanation. "Even though it seems like Cameron is starting to accept me I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to buy him off. So I thought his gift should be something that shows him that I know he's his own person, that I respect him and trust him, but also something that he'd have to take responsibility for," he paused trying to gauge what her reaction would be.

"Come on, spill," she urged him excitedly.

When he finally told her the gift her reaction was not what he had expected. She actually thought it was a good idea and she didn't think Elizabeth would have objected. Jason was thrilled since he'd already purchased everything and was planning to tell the boys that night at dinner.

They were talking animatedly about his plans when his cell phone rang. Jason quickly yanked it out of his jeans pocket and answered before it could get to the second ring. Emily could hear Spinelli's excited voice simply say, "I got it!" before Jason hung up the phone. "I have to go," he said as he hurriedly kissed her on the cheek and nearly ran out of the room. If Jason didn't always have to leave unexpectedly after receiving a phone call she might have considered his behavior odd. As it was she simply dismissed it as business and went to check on why her children were being so quiet.

"What did you find?" Jason asked as he burst into the office Spinelli had practically lived in for the past four days.

"It proved to be quite the challenge," he answered, "the route the Maternal One's vehicle took went by some cameras with updated security systems. However, it has once again been proven that there is nothing that can stop The Jackal."

"That's great Spinelli," Jason said frustrated at his friends need to drag things out, "but why was she on that road?"

Spinelli looked at Jason with worry in his eyes mixed with a bit of triumph when he said, "She wasn't."

Jason looked confused. "What?"

"I'll show you," he said as he turned back to his computer screen. Jason watched through multiple camera views as Elizabeth's car made its way through the streets of Port Charles. Spinelli rambled on explaining where he got each view and what stores and traffic cameras he hacked into until it settled on the last visual they had. The angle was bad and they could barely get a visual of Elizabeth's car.

What it did show was that the street was blocked off by a road construction crew. There were barriers set up and a man holding a stop sign. They could see him walk towards Elizabeth's car but there was some sort of delivery truck blocking their view. Jason held his breath as he waited to see which way her car went next. What he saw instead was the construction worker move to the back of the truck, shove something inside and then slam the doors. When the truck left, Elizabeth's car turned right and the worker moved back to the detour barricade. The screen froze on that image as Spinelli looked at Jason with a pleased look on his face.

"That's it?" Jason asked incredulously. "You can't get anymore footage of where she drove her car next?"

Spinelli realized Jason hadn't seen what he saw which was understandable since he hadn't spent countless hours over the last ten years tracking people through video surveillance for the Corinthos Organization. He rewound to the moment the truck left and her car began to turn and then he paused it. "Look in the car," he simply stated.

Jason got closer to the monitor and with a sickening feeling rising up from his stomach realized it was no longer Elizabeth in the driver's seat, but a man wearing a baseball cap. With both hands placed firmly on the desk he held his body up as he lowered his head and closed his eyes. In his mind he replayed what he had seen, trying to remain calm and objective. When he finally opened his eyes they glistened with unshed tears. "She's in the truck," he said, "where'd the truck go?"

Spinelli nervously bit his lower lip as he whispered, "I don't know." He continued with the rest of his explanation in a hurry. "I tried, but you can't get video where there are no cameras and the truck seemed to know the right route to take to avoid detection. As it is we're lucky we even got what we did. This camera is part of a bank security system. The bank moved but the camera points in the direction of a jewelry store that has been privately paying the bank to keep this one camera running. It was purely The Jackal's tenacity and desire to give Stone Cold his needed answers that let to its discover for it is not of record that this is a working surveillance area."

Jason stood in silence as his mind worked over the information he now had. Finally with a deceptively calm voice he gave Spinelli more instructions. "Track the truck. I want to know who it belongs to. See if you can clean up the footage and get a better visual on both drivers and find out who the construction guy was." He turned suddenly to walk out the door but then stopped.

"Be quiet about the investigation. Whoever is behind this didn't expect us to see that and I don't want to tip them off." He walked out the door, through the warehouse, and was in his car before he let himself truly believe what he had come to realize. With relief in his eyes and a determined set to his jaw he softly breathed to himself, "She's alive."

It wasn't exactly the dinner Jason had planned. He had planned to pick up burgers and fries from Kelly's, to sit in the living room with the boys and enjoy the meal. He had thought he would talk to Jake about his day and find out how he did on the math test he'd been worried about and then hopefully get Cameron to open up about his first day back. He had planned to surprise them with their gifts during dessert which was going to be homemade banana splits. So far the only thing going as planned was what they were eating for dinner.

Jason was preoccupied with the knowledge he now had and the struggle within himself about letting the boys go on believing that Elizabeth was dead. There was a distinct possibility that they were somehow being watched and he didn't want to lose the upper hand he'd suddenly gained with today's discovery and so he decided to stay silent even though seeing the pain in their eyes tore his heart out.

Cameron had barely said two words to anyone since he got home from school. He picked at his food and seemed to be forcing himself to swallow the few bites he actually took. He made no eye contact and just glowered at his plate with his shoulders slumped forward dejectedly.

Jake had come home ready to share that he got a 98 on his test but instantly picked up on the moods of the other two men and instead had remained quiet and sullen, letting his mind wander back to happier times.

Jason finally pulled himself out of his private thoughts and noticed the moods of both boys. Even though he'd planned to wait he decided to just go ahead since nothing else was going as planned. "So, I got you two something," he said abruptly.

The sudden sound of someone speaking shocked both boys into looking up at Jason. Jake became instantly excited at the idea of a surprise while Cameron remained reserved as he still wasn't sure what to expect from Jason. "What is it?" Jake asked as a huge grin spread across his face and he bounced with anticipation on the couch. "Do we share it or do we each get our own?"

Jason felt a joy and excitement grip his heart that he hadn't known before. He'd given presents before but the ability to bring a sparkle back to his son's eyes gave him a feeling he couldn't describe. "You each get your own," he said as he got up and opened the desk drawer and pulled a manila envelope out. Handing the envelope to Jake he said, "This is yours. You can take whoever you want. I just hope we can go together once in a while."

Jake frantically opened the envelope and tipped it to make the contents spill out. It took him a moment to realize what was in his lap and when he did he squealed with delight. "Oh my God! Thank you so much. Cam, he got me season tickets to the Mets. Oh my God! Jason, thank you so much!" Suddenly he jumped from where he was sitting and threw himself at Jason giving him the biggest, most exuberant hug he could recall ever receiving.

Cameron grinned at how happy his brother was in that moment. He also mentally prepared himself for whatever Jason had gotten him. He knew it couldn't be as perfect as what Jake had received because Jason didn't know him as well, but he still felt like he should give the guy credit for trying. So he sat there preparing himself to be thankful and to try to convey appreciation for whatever he received no matter what it might be.

Jake was so excited about his gift he could barely wait for Cameron to receive his. He sat back down and held the season passes in his hands as if they were an ancient artifact that might crumble to dust if handled improperly. Jason rose from his seat and a nervous smile played across his face as he sat down next to Cameron.

"I want you to know that I understand this whole transition has been difficult for you," he began, "so I thought you're old enough for a little freedom. I want you to know this isn't some kind of payoff to try to get you to like me. I hope that some day we can be friends but I know that it will take time. This is just because I care about you Cameron and I trust you. I believe you'll be responsible." As he finished speaking he simply grabbed Cameron's hand and opening it he placed a single key in his palm.

Cameron stared at the key that had Honda written across it in disbelief as the realization of what Jason had just given him sunk in. "You got him a car!?" Jake shrieked, even more excited than before.

"No," Jason said, "I got him a motorcycle." He stared at the young man and tried to figure out if his reaction was good or bad. When he finally looked up at Jason there were actually tears in his eyes he was so happy.

"I don't know what to say," he stammered. "This is too much. Thank you doesn't even come close. I just," he paused trying to come up with the words to express how he felt but he couldn't so he simply said, "thank you."

"You're welcome," Jason said smiling, then he became serious, "but remember this is also a big responsibility. I'll take you tomorrow to get a helmet and riding leathers that fit. There will also be some rules. Obviously you'll need to get certified for your license and for the first year there will be no riding after dark. Also, Jake doesn't ride with you." Jake made a loud moaning sound at that rule and Jason amended it by saying, "At least for the first year. After that we'll reevaluate. Are you okay with that?" he asked Cameron.

Cameron was still in shock. He hadn't been prepared for the perfect gift, but that's what he had received. The part of him that was still struggling to hate Jason and to blame him for everything that was wrong in his life wanted to believe that this gift was some sort of ploy to get him to cooperate more or something, but since reading the things his Mother had written about this man he knew that it wasn't Jason's style to try to buy people off. She had felt that Jason was one of the most honest people she'd ever known and so Cameron chose to believe what Jason had told him was the truth. "Yes, I'll follow the rules." He looked at Jason with determination in his eyes and a grin plastered across his face as he whispered, "I won't disappoint you."

"Can we see it," Jake asked excitedly.

Jason laughed and said yes and they all rushed to the elevator, their half finished dinners forgotten. It was a beautiful machine and a perfect entry-level bike for Cameron. A 250 '16 Honda Rebel, just four years old it was in good condition. He straddled the silver and black bike and it felt to him as if it were made for him. He couldn't wait to get it out on the road and feel the freedom it provided.

When the three men came back their moods had drastically changed from earlier in the evening. Their faces were flushed and their eyes shone with excitement as they spoke animatedly about the beautiful piece of machinery they'd just left the presence of. "I can't believe you used to own a bike shop," Jake said with awe. "Why don't you still have it?"

Cameron saw something flash across Jason's face and he waited to see what he would answer as he remembered what his mother had written.

_I can't say it out loud. If I say it out loud it will be true and it can't be true. But it is. There was a fire at Jason's garage and now half of my heart is gone. How will I survive without Lucky? I don't even know how it's possible that I'm still breathing and my heart is still beating without him. I feel as though I'm suffocating without him. This isn't real. It can't be real. But then I look at Lucky's subway token necklace and I hear Detective Taggart telling me they found it on the body and I know it's real. Lucky who am I without you?_

Jason simply said, "There was a fire and then I went back to work for Sonny and didn't have time to work on bikes as much."

Cameron smiled to himself realizing that Jason told the truth but left out the details that might upset Jake. "I'm gonna call Spencer and tell him what we got," the young boy said as he started upstairs. He stopped short and turned to say once more, "Thank you, Jason," then he pounded up the stairs, leaving the two men alone.

"Thanks," Cameron said, "for making him so happy and for everything."

"It's really my pleasure," Jason replied. He started to move toward the kitchen when Cameron's voice stopped him.

"Hey Jason, um, I was just wondering if it wasn't too much trouble, when it's ready and everything, if maybe you wouldn't mind showing me a few mechanical things about the bike," Cameron rambled. "It's just," he continued before Jason could give an answer, "I've never worked with a motorcycle and I know they're a little different from cars. I mean cars, I know the basics like how to change the oil and the air filter and stuff because my Dad thought it was ridiculous to pay someone $80 to do something you could do for half that."

Cameron was now on a roll and continued to ramble and since it was the most the young man had said to him without being angry Jason just let him continue. "So we'd do the regular maintenance on the cars together. Even after Dad died I kept up the maintenance on Mom's car. Of course, there were some things I couldn't do and she'd have to take it to the shop, like when the heater stopped working. I couldn't figure that one out."

Jason's interest suddenly peaked and he decided to interrupt the boy's ramblings. "When was that?" he asked trying not to sound too excited for the answer.

A sadness came back to Cameron's eyes as he said, "About a week before," his voice trailed off, not wanting to say the words that Jason already knew.

Jason decided to distract him from the loss he felt but still try to get the information he wanted. "Does the shop she took the car to work on bikes also?"

Cameron shook his head no and said, "I told Dan he should expand but he said Miller's Auto Service was just that, an auto service and he didn't like motorcycles."

"I'll tell you what," Jason said, "this weekend I'll show you the basics and maybe I'll even take you out so you can get a feel for the bike."

"That would be great," Cameron said suddenly anticipating the weekend. "I'm going to get online and find out what I need to do to make sure it's legal for me to be riding," he said as he turned and ran up to his bedroom.

As soon as he was sure he was alone Jason flipped open his cell phone and made a call. When he heard the voice answer on the other end he said, "I have more information, but I don't know if it'll lead anywhere." He told Spinelli what Cameron said and gave him the name of the auto shop. When Spinelli pointed out that both they and the police had already been over Elizabeth's car and found nothing Jason snapped, "Well maybe we were looking for the wrong thing. Just check it out."

He closed the phone and in frustration tossed it on the desk. He had believed too easily. In his business he was so used to losing people that he had simply accepted Elizabeth's death as fact. He felt as though he were being tortured. Besides Spinelli he was the only one who knew there was a possibility she was alive and now the questions running through his mind were driving him to distraction.

Where was she? Was she cold? Was she cared for? Were they hurting her? Torturing her? The thought made him feel like he was crawling out of his skin. He had to find her and he wouldn't stop until he did. And now the biggest question came to the fore as he considered what he would do to whoever had her. Who had taken her?

His first instinct had been to think that it was mob related, but he soon dismissed that. No one he could think of would go through all this trouble to fake a death when they could just do it for real. Also, the fact that there had been no demands and no other attacks on the territory told him they were dealing with someone far worse than a rival family because they didn't play by the rules. With a grim smile Jason uttered softly, "Then neither will I."


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters; they are the property of ABC and its affiliates. I claim no rights to them.

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

That Saturday Jake went to Windemere to spend the day with Spencer and Jason used the opportunity to take Cameron for a ride. They took his new bike and rode out of town to some back roads Jason was familiar with and he showed Cameron how to ride. He had an appointment on Wednesday to pass a skills test and a certification would be added to his license. Jason wanted to be sure he was prepared. Cameron took to it quickly. He was a natural.

On their way back into town that afternoon Jason suddenly pulled over at a seedy little place that looked from the outside as if it hadn't seen a customer in years. The sign wasn't illuminated right now but Cameron recognized the name of the bar from Elizabeth's journals. He was a little surprised that Jason had brought him to Jake's. He tried to appear older and more sure of himself as they entered the establishment. There was a jukebox in the corner and a pool table took up most of the room with about ten small tables taking up the rest of the small space. As Jason went to the bar and purchased two sodas from the scary looking bartender Cameron took in the room and tried to imagine his mother in this place.

_I was asking for trouble tonight. I was just so tired of hurting, of missing Lucky, I thought I could just be someone else and the pain would go away. I went to this bar called Jake's and got into some trouble with this guy who wouldn't leave me alone and all of the sudden Emily's brother was there. He made the guy go away and then we talked. Well, actually, I think I did most of the talking. Jason's a really great listener. He took me for a ride on his motorcycle and it felt like we were going so fast that none of my troubles could catch us. I feel a lot better and I'm glad I went to Jake's tonight. I think Jason and I will be great friends. At least I hope we'll be._

Cameron suddenly realized Jason was standing in front of him holding out the bottle of soda and had said something. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Are you okay?" Jason asked again.

"Yeah," Cameron said taking the bottle from the older man and taking a drink. "It's just I've never been in a bar before."

Jason smiled. "I know the guy who owns the place. Coleman's alright and you're not drinking anything but soda so it'll be okay." Jason gestured toward the pool table and asked, "You want to play?"

Cameron nodded and walked over to grab a cue stick off the wall. "A long time ago I used to live in one of the rooms upstairs," Jason said as he racked the balls and got ready to break.

"That's cool," Cameron said, even as he thought to himself, "I was conceived in one." That had been an entry he had come upon that he had quickly skipped, but reading about his birth had made up for any embarrassment.

_I can't believe I'm a mother. It's been a week and Cameron is sleeping in his basinet. I can't stop watching him. His little chest rising with each breath is such a miracle. I love it when his little lips purse together and he sucks in his sleep because then I know what he's dreaming about. He looks so much like Zander, that's why I named him Cameron after his grandfather. I wish things had been different and Cameron could know his Dad. As angry as we were at each other and as many mistakes as he made, I know Zander would have loved his son. There's no way you couldn't. I just look at him and my heart swells so much it feels like it could burst. I've never known a stronger love than what I feel for my little guy. I don't think there is a stronger love than this._

Cameron pulled himself back out of his thoughts and took a long swallow from his soda to try to get control of his emotions. When Jason missed a shot and it was Cameron's turn he surveyed the table and asked, "You're not going easy on me are you?"

Jason chuckled, "Maybe a little, but it's no fun if you never get a shot and I've been playing this game since before you were born."

"Fair enough," Cameron said as he eased the six ball into the corner pocket. "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

Jason looked at the young man leaning across the table as he lined up his next shot and said, "You can ask, but I might not be able to answer." He had hoped that this outing would give them a chance to talk and get to know each other better and he was glad that so far he'd been right.

Cameron missed his shot and picking up his bottle went to lean against the wall as Jason took his turn. "Why do you do what you do?"

Jason sunk the eight ball and looked at the young man leaning against the wall. It was true that he looked like Zander, but in that moment, in the way he held himself and the look on his face, all Jason could see was Elizabeth. It was almost as if she were standing there gazing at him with those sparkling blue eyes, her soft brown hair framing high cheekbones, and that mischievous smile that always made his heart leap with anticipation of what she might say next, playing across her face. Jason closed his eyes and forced the vision of her from his mind. "What do you mean?" he finally asked.

Cameron smirked, "Your job. Why do you do it?"

Jason knew he didn't mean importing coffee and laying his cue stick on the pool table he motioned to a nearby table. As they each sat down Jason took a drink of his soda. He would have preferred a beer but he didn't want to take any chances on the bike with Cameron. "About 23 years ago I was in an accident that caused permanent brain damage. When I woke up I didn't know who I was and I couldn't remember anyone from my previous life. It hurt the people that had loved me and they tried to force me to be the person I was before the accident, but he was dead. I met Sonny and he didn't expect anything from me. He gave me a job and it turned out that I was good at it. He became my family and the thing with my business is that once you're in that's it. You can't leave."

Cameron was silent for a moment and then he asked, "Do you regret it? I mean, it's the reason you didn't claim Jake, right?"

Jason sighed and finished his drink. "I don't really believe in regrets. We make choices and we have to live with them and there doesn't seem any point on dwelling on the bad decisions we make. I suppose it probably helps that I can't imagine anything different. Because of the accident my brain doesn't really work the way other people's brains do. I can't picture something I haven't seen or imagine something that hasn't happened. But Elizabeth and I made the best decision we could at the time. I can't say it didn't hurt," he said with remembered pain in his voice.

"I wanted a family. I wanted you and Jake and your Mom to be my family, but sometimes when you love someone the best thing you can do for them is to walk away. I knew that all of you would be safer without me in your life and so as painful as it was that's what I did."

Cameron stared at his almost empty bottle as if it held the answers to all his questions as he let what Jason had said sink in. He had wanted him too. Not just Jake. He had included him in the description of the family he had desired. Cameron tried to imagine how things would have been, but he couldn't. He couldn't let himself acknowledge the possibility that his mother might have been happier with Jason.

"So were you ever told to stay away from a girl you liked?" Cameron asked suddenly changing the subject.

Jason laughed out loud, making Cameron smile in return. "Yeah, plenty of times."

"Did you ever listen?"

Jason became serious as he thought about the women he had loved and lost. All of them had been warned away from him and a couple he'd been flat out told to leave alone by their family. He knew, though, who Cameron was thinking about so he phrased his words carefully. "For the most part, no," he responded. "I don't think anyone has the right to tell someone else how to live their life or who to love. At the same time, when you care about someone you want to do everything within your power to make sure they're happy and safe, even if that means staying away from them."

A defiant look crossed Cameron's face and Jason leaned in to make sure he had the boy's attention. "I'm not telling you what to do, Cam, but Ric Lansing can be a dangerous man," he paused and said with concern in his voice, "so whatever you do, be careful."

A slow half-smile flitted across Cameron's face. He knew exactly how dangerous Ric could be.

_I'm such a fool. Jason warned me about him, but I wouldn't listen. How could Ric do this? He's my husband. I thought I knew him. When that panic room door opened and I saw Carly, pregnant and chained to the wall, I knew what he'd done. But now, to find out he's been dosing me with birth control pills this whole time, when I thought we were trying to have a baby ourselves. I just don't' know what to do. I'm such a fool._

"You really hate him, huh?" Cameron asked.

Jason snorted softly and said, "I have plenty of reasons to hate Ric and he has his reasons for hating me."

"I don't think it's a very good reason to hate somebody just because you're jealous of their relationship with your brother. I mean Jake and Spencer are really close, but I don't hate Spencer. I appreciate him because he's such a good friend to Jake. I mean he's been out to get you from day one just because he wants to be to Sonny what you are to him and that just seems a little warped to me," Cameron said without really thinking about how he would explain where he got his information. The quizzical look that crossed Jason's eyes made him realize his blunder and he quickly added with a shrug, "I've heard things."

Jason let it pass and glanced at his watch. "It's getting late. We better go get Jake so we can decide what to get for dinner."

Cameron chuckled and Jason looked at the boy questioningly. He answered the unspoken question, "I bet you anything that Aunt Emily is going to invite us to stay for dinner. She probably timed it this way on purpose so we could all have dinner together."

Jason laughed and shook his head. As they walked out of the place where his friendship with Elizabeth had begun he smiled to himself hoping that it was now also the place where his friendship with her son began.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Sorry it's taken so long for this update. I got a job and was busy for a while.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters; they are the property of ABC and its affiliates. I claim no rights to them, I'm simply borrowing them.

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"It's been a week Spinelli," Jason said frustrated, as he paced the floor of the office, "I don't care if you don't have all of the answers. Just give me what you do have." Spinelli turned nervously toward the older man and took a deep breath. "This mission has proven to be quite difficult for The Jackal. It seems The Nefarious Ones have been most diligent in covering their tracks."

Jason glared at the computer hacker and clenched his jaw tight in an effort not to lose control with him. "She's been gone for a month Spinelli," he whispered through clenched teeth. "A month. And I'm no closer to finding her. You have to give me something, anything that will get me closer to finding her and bringing her home to her sons."

"My sincerest apologies Stone Cold. I realize what wretchedness this situation must leave you in," Spinelli said sadly. "I was able to discover that the truck Fair Elizabeth was absconded in is owned by a fishing company. Neptune Seafood Company to be exact." Spinelli smiled slightly, "There slogan is "Seafood fit for a king." Get it? Because Neptune is the Greek god of the sea?" He waited for a comment but only received an impatient stare and so he continued.

"The problem is that truck was reported stolen the day of Fair Elizabeth's abduction so it's, for lack of a better term, a dead end. Now here's something interesting. I've checked all the city records and plans and there was no street work scheduled for that street. I was also able to get a pretty good picture of his face when I cleaned up the footage and he doesn't work for the city. The problem is I can't find him anywhere else. I even hacked the FBI database and I couldn't find him."

Jason rubbed his jaw in concentration and finally spoke. "How did they know to put up the detour there? They must have been watching her for a while. They knew her normal route to work and picked the spot with no surveillance." He paused, staring off into space as he tried to put all the pieces together. The problem was he was still missing too many pieces. "What about the auto shop?"

Spinelli sighed, "Alas the Jackal has found nothing on that front. There are only six employees including the owner and they all check out. None of them have any connections to Stone Cold or The Maternal One, other than fixing her mode of transportation."

Jason breathed out heavily as he realized that was all Spinelli had. The young man continued hurriedly, "I'm still trying to clear up the shot of the Evildoer who took her car. It's difficult because of his hat, but I'll run it through my facial recognition program as soon as I have anything."

Jason gave him a weak smile and said, "Thanks Spinelli. I know this has kind of taken over your life. I'll let Sonny know you're working on something for me so he won't bother you with anything else to do."

"Thank you," he replied gratefully, "and it's my pleasure to be of any assistance I can in the rescue of Fair Elizabeth from the clutches of The Nefarious Ones." Jason simply chuckled and turned to leave, but stopped himself. "Keep digging into the auto shop," he said. At the quizzical look from his young friend he answered, "I just have a bad feeling about it," and walked out the door.

Cameron had passed his motorcycle certification with flying colors and had received permission to drive himself to school under the stipulation that the guards still follow him in an SUV. He had given in with very little protest because he wanted to prove to Jason that he was responsible and took his safety seriously. The drawback was that he didn't have as much freedom as he liked, but he trusted that Jason was telling him the truth when he said the guards wouldn't act as spies.

He smiled to himself as he remembered the looks he got from the other students as he had pulled up on the bike and removed the helmet. He thought it was funny how people that hadn't given him a second look before were now trying to be friendly, but he was only interested in one person.

He scanned the hallways looking for her between every class and it helped that he knew her schedule and where her locker was because it made it so that he saw her multiple times a day. He was just never able to talk to her. A few times he had caught her eye and he could tell that she was looking for him also, but then she would quickly look away or find someone else to occupy her attention. It was driving him insane. They hadn't spoken since the edict from her father and now all that kept going through his mind was the kiss they had shared and how much he wanted to talk to her and duplicate the events of their last day together sans interruptions.

According to Molly her father had spies in the school so Cameron decided if he wanted any time with her he would have to be sneaky about it. On his way to his second to last class of the day he chose a route that would take him by her locker and quicker than anyone could notice slipped a piece of folded up paper through the slots without even slowing down. He couldn't concentrate for the rest of the day. His mind was too filled with questions, wondering if she would see the note, if she'd be able to meet him, if she'd even try. He couldn't stop watching the clock not move until finally the final bell rang and he was free to get the answers to his questions.

Molly walked quickly through the park her dark brown messenger bag weighted with homework slung over her shoulder. For what must have been the hundredth time she pulled the small piece of paper from her pocket, glancing at the words as she continued in her hurry to reach her destination. When she had opened her locker after calculus class the small folded white sheet had fluttered to the ground, catching her eye in the process. She hadn't even needed to see his signature; she had instantly recognized his handwriting and a thrill had run through her. _Meet me at the park entrance after school, Cam._ That was all the note had said. She had no idea what to expect or what he had planned. What she did know was that she had missed him this last week and she was just angry enough with her father to not care about any consequences.

She saw him as she came to the entrance to the park. He was wearing a black leather jacket and blue jeans and was straddling a black and silver motorcycle. A rush of excitement coursed through her as she quickly ran down the steps to the sidewalk. When he saw her his eyes lit up and that smile that made her knees melt spread across his face. "Hey," she said coyly as she walked up to him.

"I wasn't sure you'd be able to meet me," he said hesitantly. Now that she was here he wasn't sure how to act. Was she still just his best friend or had the kiss changed things? Should he treat her differently? He had never felt so nervous or so unsure of himself in his life.

Molly smiled. "I'm with my mom this week. I just told her I had a study date and I wasn't sure how long it would be. You know my mom, anything for a grade."

Cameron chuckled in response. He had always found it interesting that people as obsessive and controlling as Alexis Davis and Ric Lansing could have raised someone as adventurous Molly. "So," he said with a smile as he handed her a second helmet from the back of the bike, "you want to go for a ride?"

Her eyes lit up with excitement as she whispered, "Yes," and grabbed the helmet from Cameron. He put his own helmet on as she climbed on the back of the motorcycle and quickly figured out where to put her feet. As she balanced her bag and wrapped her arms around Cameron's waist he turned the ignition and yelled over his shoulder, "Are you ready?" She simply nodded her head and tightened her grip on him instead of trying to be heard over the rumbling emanating from underneath them. Cameron slowly eased them out into the street and then turned to take the fastest route out of town.

"Wow! That was amazing," Molly exclaimed as she removed the helmet from her head and quickly ran a hand through her hair to try to fix the mess she knew it must be. Cameron laughed as he set the kickstand and removed his own helmet, placing it next to hers on the bike.

"There were a few times I wasn't sure you were enjoying it, you squeezed me so tight. You're sure I didn't scare you?" he asked as he walked over to her. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold February air, but her eyes blazed like they were on fire as she smiled as wide as she could at him. Grabbing the front of his jacket in her fists she replied with certainty, "I wasn't scared for a second. I trust you," she whispered.

Cameron gently reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. He felt as if he were drawn to her, like he couldn't help himself, and slowly he leaned in and placed a soft kiss upon her lips. He had expected her lips to be cold from the long ride; instead they were warm and soft. He felt her tighten her grip on his jacket, pulling him closer and he responded, wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her close to him and deepened the kiss. When she pulled away both of them had difficulty regaining their normal breathing patterns and a small smile spread across each of their faces.

"I've been waiting a long time to do that," Cameron finally said.

"I've been waiting a long time for you to do that," Molly responded. She stepped away to give them each some distance from the warmth their bodies had created by being so close together. "Where exactly are we?" she finally asked.

"It's called Vista Pointe. My mom and Jason used to come up here together a lot," Cameron responded quietly, tears automatically springing to his eyes at the mention of Elizabeth. "When they first met he took her on a motorcycle ride and then he brought her up here and I guess they came up here a few times together. She really liked it."

Molly reached out and took Cameron's hand, lacing her fingers with his. "Thank you for sharing this place with me," she said. "I can't even imagine what you've been going through, Cam. I wish I could have been there for you."

Keeping his hand locked with hers Cameron moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, interlocking their arms and pulling her tight against him he breathed against her shoulder, "You're here now." They stood there together for a long time, Molly leaning against the strength and warmth of Cameron's body behind her. They said nothing to each other they were so lost in their own thoughts and the joy of just being able to be together.

Suddenly Cameron spoke up. "You know the dance is tomorrow night."

Turning around in his arms so they were now facing each other Molly responded with a flirtatious grin, "I was aware of that, actually."

Cameron grinned down at her. "I know Valentine's Day isn't actually until Tuesday, I was just hoping that maybe you'd go to the dance with me tomorrow night," he paused, "as my girlfriend."

She gave a short laugh and said, "So it won't be like when you asked me to the 8th grade dance and then spent the entire night goofing around with Morgan?"

Cameron suddenly turned serious and looking her straight in the eye he said, "It won't be anything like that." The way he looked at her and said those words made Molly's breath catch in her throat and her heart actually felt like it flipped inside her chest.

"We have a slight problem," she said softly.

Cameron grimaced. "Your Dad, I know," he took a deep breath and then continued. "I was thinking that if we met up at the dance he wouldn't have to know. And since you're with your mom this week I could drive you home and he would never have to know."

Molly pretended to think about it even though her mind was already made up. "I think that sounds wonderful, Boyfriend," she said with a smile as she leaned in for another kiss to seal the arrangement.

From the moment Elizabeth had decided to fight back against her mysterious captor she had kept herself busy. She had no idea how long she had been in the room. With no windows and no clocks her sense of time was completely askew. It felt like ages, but she knew that it could just be days. She created a regimen for herself. When she first woke up she did sit-ups, then crunches, then push-ups. After her first meal was brought she would do mental exercises, picturing in her mind how she would escape, trying to come up with scenarios that would give her the jump on the men with guns. She followed this with wall lunges and running around the small room like a guinea pig in an exercise wheel, until she was exhausted.

At first she wasn't able to do very much. She had always been petite, but it was mostly just a fast metabolism that had kept her that way. Now she was trying to create muscle and the stamina to run and keep running as fast as she could. After weeks of this regimen she could tell there was a difference. Not only was she able to run longer and do more exercises, but mentally she had stopped dwelling on the thoughts of never seeing her family again. She was able to picture herself escaping and holding them in her arms. It had given her hope.

Her search for some sort of weapon had been fruitless for quite a few days until she remembered a prison movie she and Lucky had watched a few years ago. With trepidation she had slowly turned the end of her toothbrush into a sharp pointed knife by methodically rubbing it against the hard metal wall of her cell. At first she had been worried that her captors would notice on the cameras, but when no one came to confiscate it she realized that it was possible they were only watching her when they wanted to and not all the time. They had become too sure of their prison and too confident that she wouldn't fight back and with grim determination she realized this could be their downfall and her chance to escape.

On this day she stood ready, holding the toothbrush turned weapon in her right hand, she waited quietly behind the door. When she heard the familiar click of the door unlocking her muscles tightened and she felt the adrenaline rush through her body. As the door began to swing open she jumped at the first man holding a gun and plunged the hand crafted knife into the faceless man's neck with as much force as she could muster. She had hoped her sudden action would give her enough time to lose the second man and she was right. While his companion grabbed his neck and cried out in pain, crumpling to the ground, Elizabeth flung out her arms, hitting the bottom of the tray of food he was holding sending scalding hot soup across his masked face and down his neck. He cried out in pain and ripped off the stocking cap he was wearing, trying desperately to remove the heat from his face.

Elizabeth knew that she was being held on some sort of ship, she had just hoped that they were in a port somewhere and that the other people on the ship didn't realize she was being held captive and might help her in some way. She ran with all her might down the narrow hallway that the door had opened up into until she came to a flight of metal stairs. She took them two at a time, knowing that she had a limited amount of time to outrun her captors. She knew she hadn't injured the second man too badly and that he would soon be after her.

When she reached the top of the stairs she found that she was in a cargo hold of some kind. There were crates piled and tied down as far as she could see, but still she hadn't seen a single other person. She ran between the crates along a walkway until she came to a door and opening it she found another set of metal stairs leading upward. As the door began to close behind her she glanced over her shoulder and with a startling jump she saw a man running at her. He wore no mask, but at this moment she wished he did because there was murder in his eyes.

She grabbed the railing and pulled herself up the stairs, taking them as quickly as she could. When she reached the top she heard the door open with a bang and the man cried out, "Stop!", but she kept running. She was now in a part of the ship that looked like crews quarters and she knew if there was any chance of her being saved she must get someone's attention. Suddenly a door down the hallway opened and a man wearing dirty overalls stepped out.

"Help me!" Elizabeth cried out as she ran to him. "Please," she cried as she reached the man, her words coming in ragged breaths, "please help me. I've been kidnapped. My name is Elizabeth Spencer. Please help me." The man looked at her with surprise and then with a confused expression looked behind her. She suddenly felt strong arms grab her from behind and lift her off the ground. Pleading with the man in front of her she cried out, "Please help me!"

The man behind her suddenly spoke in a language she didn't recognize to the man in overalls. "Είναι λαθρεπιβάτης. Θα την φροντίσω(She's a stowaway. I'll take care of her)." With growing horror Elizabeth heard the man in overalls respond, "Δεν είναι καμία από την επιχείρησή μου. Είστε ασφάλεια.(It's none of my business. You're security.)", and walk away. She began to scream, but a strong calloused hand covered her mouth as he carried her back to her cell. When they crossed the threshold she noticed the large pool of blood on the floor and wondered if she had actually killed the other man. With surprise she realized that she didn't care if she had.

The man finally released her and she pushed herself away from him, trying to create as much distance between them and at the same time trying to control the fear that was now choking her. The man's eyes were black and evil and his face was bright red and beginning to blister where she had burnt him with the soup, but his mouth suddenly twisted into a grotesque smile as he spoke to her in a thick Greek accent. "That was very foolish. My boss won't be pleased to hear of your newest antics and you can be sure there will be consequences for your attack and for your attempt to escape." He turned to leave but just before he shut the door he turned to her and with a sadistic smile said, "And just so you know, I'm the only one on this ship besides you that speaks a word of English."

When she heard the familiar click of the lock being turned in the door Elizabeth crawled to her bed and curled up in a ball. Her body was completely exhausted from the attempt, her heart was broken from being seemingly so close to freedom, but her mind kept going over everything she had seen in her flight from her cell and one question kept going through her mind. Why was she being held prisoner on a ship whose only cargo was crates upon crates from the Neptune Seafood Company?


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters. They are the property of ABC and its affiliates; I claim no rights to them, I'm simply borrowing them for a story.

**CHAPTER NINE**

Jason walked through the penthouse door, opened the closet and stored his gun in its lockbox, then hung up his jacket. He was just about to find out where the boys were when Jake suddenly came running at a full sprint from the area of the kitchen and flung himself over the back of the couch, twisting his body as he rolled so that he landed on his knees when he got to the floor. He was panting, his face was flushed, and he wore a black vest with small red lights on it over his t-shirt.

Jason was about to ask what was going on when Spencer suddenly burst from the same direction and rolled toward the pool table for cover. Jake suddenly rose and fired a black plastic pistol in Spencer's direction as he flung himself through open space, taking new cover behind the chair that was diagonal from the pool table. The boys were so involved in their game that they didn't seem to notice Jason standing by his desk.

He watched as Jake waited patiently behind the chair, resting and catching his breath. Spencer crawled slowly under the pool table, inching closer to his target with a smile on his face. Jake sat on the floor with his back resting against the side of the chair, seemingly unaware of the approaching danger. As Spencer reached the end of the table he slowly rose and began to raise his own black plastic pistol to take advantage of his height when suddenly Jake spun sideways and laid flat on the floor. In one fluid motion he pushed hard against the floor with his feet, sending his body out from behind his cover. Taking his cousin by surprise he fired once and the black vest Spencer wore began blinking and emitted a loud beeping noise.

"Oh man!" Spencer cried out as Jake rose to his feet with a laugh and slapped the older boy on the shoulder consolingly. "That's three in a row, Jake," Spencer said laughing. "You'd think this was your game instead of mine." Jason stood in shock at what he'd just witnessed. The ease with which his son had moved, the way he found cover and knew exactly when to attack filled Jason with a mix of pride and fear. He wasn't sure how to react.

"Hey, Uncle Jason," Spencer said, suddenly realizing they weren't alone. Jake looked quickly toward the man standing by the door and for an instant he considered trying to hide the gun behind his back, but quickly realized it was too late.

"Does your mother know you play this game?" Jason asked his nephew.

"I bought it with my own money," Spencer said sheepishly, "so no, not exactly."

Jason sighed and gave the boys a disapproving look. "Yeah, it doesn't look like a game Emily would approve of." Looking at Jake he continued, "It's not something I approve of either. I don't think you two should be shooting at each other, even if it is pretend."

Spencer saw the way he was looking at Jake and decided to try to get his cousin out of trouble. "I'm sorry Uncle Jason. You're right; my parents probably wouldn't want me playing it. It just seemed like harmless fun and Jake's really good at it. I've never been able to get him even once."

Jason breathed out heavily and rubbed his hand over his eyes trying to erase the image of his young son so effortlessly taking out his nephew in a game of laser tag that had seemed all too real. "Why don't we find a less violent way to occupy ourselves tonight?"

"Um, Jason," Jake asked quietly as he removed his target vest and handed over his gun to the man, "would it be okay if Spencer stayed the night tonight? Aunt Emily's working the night shift at the hospital…"

"And Paige and Alan can be so annoying when Mom's not home," Spencer chimed in.

"Please?" Jake pleaded. "I promise, no more laser tag," he added, hoping this would put him over the edge.

Jason smiled and ruffled the boys' hair as he confiscated the game from them, "Sure. That'd be fine. In fact, why don't you two decide what kind of pizza you want and we can have some delivered." Jason looked around the room after storing the vests and plastic guns in the same closet where his jacket and real gun was stored. The irony was not lost on him. "Where's your brother?" he suddenly asked.

Jake and Spencer exchanged knowing glances and then Jake spoke up. "He's freaking out."

"What does that mean?" Jason asked.

"It means he's going to the Valentine's Day Dance at the high school tonight and so he's being a jerk and freaking out about his hair and what to wear and stuff," Jake said, obviously still hurt about something Cameron must have done or said.

"Yeah," Spencer added, "I would suggest staying clear of him. He was very serious about us staying out of his way."

"I'll take my chances," Jason chuckled as he headed upstairs wondering to himself exactly what a teenage boy freaking out would be like. From the looks of the bathroom as he passed it apparently it would be like a hair product bomb exploding. He knocked lightly on Cameron's door and started to enter as Cameron yelled, "I told you I don't have time to play your stupid assassin games!"

"They're not playing it anymore," Jason said as he surveyed the disaster area that had taken over Cameron's normally very organized and clean room. From the looks of the bed and floor he was pretty sure that there were hardly any clothes actually left in the dresser or closet.

Cameron spun around at the sound of someone he wasn't expecting and suddenly felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he said as he followed Jason's gaze around the room and realized the mess he was standing in, "I thought you were them."

Jason smiled easily at the young man. "Yeah, I know. It's okay," he paused shortly then continued. "So I hear you're going to a dance tonight."

"Yeah," Cameron said nervously. He looked at Jason, unsure if he could really talk to him for a moment, and then with a shake of his head he realized he was being ridiculous still holding onto his preconceived idea of who Jason was. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Jason replied. He watched as the young man seemed to struggle with how to phrase his next question.

"Do you think my mom would be okay with me going to this thing tonight?" he suddenly asked with a slight waiver to his voice and doubt in his eyes.

Jason looked shocked. This was not the kind of question he'd been expecting. "Of course she would. She would want you to have fun and enjoy yourself," Jason looked Cameron in the eye as he spoke wanting to make the boy believe what he knew to be the truth. "I know that she would want to be a part of this night for you. Why would you think she wouldn't?"

Cameron's eyes darted around the room as he tried to find a way to tell Jason the truth without revealing the journals that had become his prize possessions. "Because it's the Valentine's Day dance," he whispered as he finally looked Jason in the eye.

Jason saw the pain and tears pooled in the boy's dark brown eyes and closed his own in the realization that Cameron knew what had happened to Elizabeth all those years ago. "She told you?" he asked quietly.

"I sort of heard about it," Cameron said quietly. He continued in an effort to keep Jason from asking specific questions about the source of his information. "It explains why she never made a big deal about the holiday." He smiled softly as he remembered her, "She was always so happy with whatever we got her." His smile was soon replaced with sadness as he said, "I always wondered why Dad brought her white roses instead of red. He always just said that she preferred white."

Jason walked across the room and put a reassuring hand on Cameron's shoulder. Forcing the young man to look at him he said, "A long time ago someone hurt your mom and it was terrible for her. It took her a long time to recover from the violence of that attack, but she did recover. I can't honestly say that it doesn't matter anymore, because the truth is that what happened that night became a part of who she is. But I can tell you this for a certainty, she would not want what happened to her to spoil any good memories that you can make for yourself tonight."

Cameron looked gratefully at the older man and then said quietly with a voice choked with emotion, "Who she was."

"What?" Jason asked quickly.

"You said who she is. It was a part of who she was," Cameron corrected him. He missed the look that passed through Jason's eyes as he turned back toward the closet to try to collect his thoughts and get his emotions under control.

"So," Jason asked as he tried to change the subject to lighter topics, "do you have a date for tonight or are you going stag?"

"I'm meeting someone there," Cameron said cryptically. But Jason was no fool; he knew exactly who the someone was.

"Is it serious with you and Molly?" Jason asked.

Cameron chuckled and looked at the older man with respect. He had to give him credit, the guy was smart. "Yeah," he said looking Jason in the eyes, "I really care about her."

Jason suddenly looked very uncomfortable and then clearing his throat he asked, "Um, do I need to talk to you about…you know…um, sex?"

"No!" Cameron said quickly, his face flushing with embarrassment. "No," he repeated, "Dad and I already had many conversations. And besides neither of us is nowhere near close enough to being ready for that."

"Okay," Jason said relieved, "I just had to be sure."

"Yeah, well, I appreciate that," Cameron said as he made the last adjustments to his tie, "but you can save your speech for Jake. He'll be needing it soon enough." Cameron turned toward Jason and with an anxious look on his face asked, "How do I look? Do you think it's too casual or too dressy?"

Jason gazed at the young man standing before him. He stood straight and tall, his broad shoulders filling out the dark blue dress shirt he wore tucked into a pair of black slacks. He wore a dark blue and black striped tie and black loafers, but no dress coat. Jason had no experience in these things, but to him it seemed that Cameron was dressed perfectly for a high school dance and his first date with his new girlfriend. With a sudden thought he raised up his hand in a movement that meant wait and said to the nervous boy, "Just one thing's missing," as he left the room. Within minutes he was back and with a smile he handed a set of keys to the surprised young man. "The Mercedes?" Cameron asked with surprise.

"Just for tonight," Jason clarified. "You should have a nice car to take your date home in." With a smile on his face he said, "You don't want her to have to negotiate a motorcycle in a dress." It was a happy surprise when Cameron suddenly moved towards him and wrapped his arms quickly around the larger man.

Cameron quickly pulled back. He had surprised himself with the sudden burst of emotion he felt for Jason. He wasn't sure if he'd overstepped their relationship, but the smile on Jason's face put him at ease. "Thank you," he said sincerely, "thank you for everything."

"You're welcome," Jason said trying to get control of the strong paternal feelings that had flooded him with Cameron's sudden show of affection. As they walked down the stairs Jason gave him final instructions. "Tony's going to be with you tonight. I know he can't go into the school, but please don't try to ditch him for some alone time with Molly. He's there for both of your protection."

"I know," Cameron said reassuringly, "I won't try to lose him. I wouldn't put Molly at risk like that."

Jason smiled knowingly at the young man as he started to walk towards the door. He knew Cameron would protect the people he loved to his last breath the same way Elizabeth would. He felt the now familiar pang of heartache knowing she was out there somewhere going through God knows what and he felt completely impotent to help her. "Cameron," he said suddenly before he closed the door. When Cameron looked back at him questioningly he said proudly, "You look great. And your Mom would be so proud of you." Cameron gave him a smile, but his eyes said thank you as he closed the door and left to meet Molly.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Port Charles High School gym looked as if every single red, pink, and white heart and streamer in the entire town was covering the walls or hanging from the ceiling. A pink and red lighted disco ball hung from the ceiling casting a pale shimmering light over all the different couples dancing on the dance floor. Cameron moved away from the entrance towards the table covered with cookies and other handheld goodies along with three large punch bowls filled with a pink liquid. He stood by the table and searched the crowd trying to see if she was already there. He didn't have to wait long before he saw her walk through the entryway and his breath caught in his throat at the sight of her.

Her soft brown hair cascaded in big curls that brushed lightly against her almost bare shoulders. She wore a silky sky blue spaghetti strap dress that fit her body perfectly until it reached her hips where it flared out slightly and became a flowing mass of blue silk that gave the impression that she herself was a waterfall in constant motion. She spotted him quickly and a large smile spread across her face as she made her way over to where he was standing at the refreshments table. "Hi," she said quietly.

He shook his head slowly, partly in awe of her and partly to clear his mind enough to be able to speak. "You look absolutely beautiful," he said as he took her hand in his. The almost shy smile she gave him in return made his heart flip in his chest.

"You look pretty great yourself," she responded as she reached out and softly ran her fingers through his hair just above his temple. "You're growing out your hair," she said, "I like it. Did you know you had this curl in it?" Cameron laughed softly at the memory that flashed through his mind. "What?" she asked.

"My mom always wanted me to grow it out because of the curl. I insisted on keeping it short, but she said she loved it just a little longer because the curls made my hair look softer and she liked to run her hand through it. I told her I didn't want anyone running their hands through my hair," he said with a smile on his face. A look she wasn't familiar with crossed his face as he leaned towards her and captured her lips in a soft kiss. As he pulled away he looked in her eyes and whispered, "I was wrong."

Molly smiled and holding onto his hand asked, "You want to dance?" as she led him onto the floor already crowded with other couples. They danced for hours to every kind of song imaginable, both slow and fast and everything in between. They drank pink punch with too much sugar in it and met up with Morgan and his date for a little conversation and to share their ideas of how the dance was going. Molly noticed the teachers acting as chaperones and in the back of her mind she knew that this night would get back to her father and she would suffer the consequences, but she didn't care. In this moment, on this night, she was the happiest she could ever remember being and she didn't want to waste one second thinking about the fact that eventually it would end.

It was almost the end of the night when she realized she could no longer stand one more dance in the shoes that she had worn. "Cam," she said sadly, "my feet are killing me." That was all it took and he led her without question off the dance floor. She thought they were going to find a seat somewhere along the wall of the gym, but instead he continued leading her away from the dance out of the gym and down the dark deserted hallway of the school. It was strange to be here at night, without the normal bustle of teachers and students slamming lockers, dropping books, or carrying on conversations. As Cameron reached out and opened an unlocked classroom door she giggled, "What are you doing?"

He silently pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit in it. She obeyed and as he knelt down and gently began removing the offending devices from her now slightly swollen feet she sighed with the relief of having them finally removed. "You should have said something sooner," he said, chastising her softly.

"But I wanted to keep dancing," she said with a teasing pout. "I was having fun."

Cameron smiled into her soft brown eyes. "I was having fun, too. In fact, I'm pretty sure this is one of the best nights of my life so far because I got to spend it with you."

"Really?" she asked him softly. He was still kneeling in front of her and she couldn't resist reaching out and brushing her fingertips across the soft curl that now fell across his forehead.

"Really," he answered as he moved forward to kiss her again. He had been holding back his feelings for her for so long that now being with her felt almost like a dream. He had this constant need to touch her, to kiss her, just to breathe her in, as if feeling these tangible things was evidence to him that it wasn't a dream. That she was actually here and wanted to be with him also. The kiss quickly deepened and became more hurried as they explored each others mouths. His hands moved to her waste and pulled her closer to him, but he hadn't realized how close she already was to the edge of the chair she was sitting in and with the sudden movement she lost her balance and tumbled onto the floor with him.

"Are you okay?" he asked anxiously. Her response was a case of the giggles. He laughed along as he helped her up off the floor and they stared into each others eyes. "Sorry about that," he said sheepishly.

Molly just laughed as she smoothed out her dress and said, "Now we can say I literally fell for you." Cameron laughed as he picked her shoes up off the floor and grasped her hand with his free one. "You ready to go?" he asked. She nodded yes and they walked down the hallway together.

Even though it hurt she put her shoes back on before they went into the parking lot. Tony saw them coming down the hallway and opened the door. He smiled at the two teenagers, remembering his own first love, and asked, "You two have a good night?"

Cameron gave the blonde bodyguard a beaming smile. "We did Tony. Thanks." The three of them made their way through the sea of cars using the large SUV as the landmark they were heading towards.

"It was so nice of Jason to lend you a car tonight," Molly told Cameron as she tried with all her might not to limp from the pain shooting through her ankles.

"Yeah," Cameron said glancing at Molly with concern when he saw the grimace of pain she couldn't conceal, "I think I was wrong about him. You know, I should have had you just wait at the door and I could have picked you up there."

"Don't be silly," she said with a laugh. "No one's ever died from new shoes."

They were halfway across the parking lot when Cameron noticed Tony's gate stiffen. He looked around to try to see what might have suddenly set the guard on edge. Then he saw a man walking toward them. In the darkened parking lot it was difficult to see him clearly but as they got closer he saw that the man looked like he was in his late thirties and had dark black hair. He moved easily, like someone used to physical activity, and he was walking straight toward them. Instinctively Cameron held Molly's hand tighter and moved slightly in front of her to block the potential danger approaching them.

The man passed them with a smile and a slight nod and continued toward the school. The tension in Tony's shoulders eased and Cameron laughed quietly to himself. He was becoming paranoid. They reached the car, but before they were allowed to enter Tony insisted upon scanning it for any explosive devices. Molly laughed about it, but Cameron could hear the slight tinge of fear in her laughter and he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. She shouldn't have to be afraid to be with him, he thought to himself.

When the device Tony used to scan the car came up clean Cameron opened the passenger door for Molly and then quickly hopped in the driver's seat, anxious to show the car off a little to the girl sitting beside him. He pulled out of the school parking lot slowly in order to make sure that Tony would be able to follow in the dark. Then he headed to the west side of town where Alexis Davis lived.

"I had a great time tonight, Cam," Molly said from the seat next to him.

"So did I," he said honestly. "I think maybe I should try talking to your dad," he continued. "Maybe I could reason with him." Cameron was thinking about exactly what he would use to reason with Ric Lansing when the car suddenly began to pick up speed. At first it was just five miles over the speed limit. Then it quickly became ten, fifteen, twenty, until the car was hurtling through the streets of Port Charles at nearly 50 miles per hour.

"Cameron, slow down," Molly said loudly, the fear palpable in her voice.

"I'm not doing it," he said with panic as he pumped his foot repeatedly on the brakes that were not responding. He didn't know what to do. The car continued to accelerate and no matter how much he applied the brakes there was no response. He looked with fear toward Molly as suddenly the steering wheel was yanked from his hands as if by some other force and the car tried to make a sharp right turn.

At first Tony had thought that Cameron was trying to lose him, but when the car in front of him had reached dangerous speeds he knew something was wrong. Then he saw the brake lights going on and off repeatedly but the car only continued to gain speed. He punched the accelerator of the SUV in an effort to catch the smaller car and force them safely off the road but at that point they were going too fast. At 55 miles per hour the car had tried to make an almost 90 degree turn. The front end tried to turn, but the back of the car still wanted to go forward. With a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach Tony watched as the car flipped and began somersaulting three times into the air, each time hitting the ground with a spray of sparks and the sickening sound of crunching metal. It landed on its roof and still had enough momentum to slide across the pavement for another 50 feet before the driver's side slammed into a telephone pole and the car finally came to a stop. It was almost midnight and a deathly quiet suddenly reigned over the town of Port Charles.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters. They are the property of ABC and its affiliates; I claim no rights to them, I'm simply borrowing them for a story.

**CHAPTER TEN**

Jason squeezed through the hospital elevator doors before they could even open completely. He quickly scanned the area and immediately spotted the person he was looking for pacing back and forth in the waiting area. "Tony," he said angrily as he strode over to the bodyguard, "what happened?" Tony's head snapped up in fear at the sound of his boss' voice. Jason waited patiently while Tony related the details of the crash to him. The young bodyguard finished and then stood there nervously waiting to be fired or worse as Jason thought about everything he'd just been told. He was caught by surprise when Jason said, "I want you to go wake up Spinelli. The two of you are going to go over that car with a fine tooth comb before the PCPD has a chance to destroy whatever evidence there is."

"Sure thing Boss," Tony answered as he began to leave.

Jason's voice stopped him. "Tony I want answers before I hear from you again. Do you understand?"

Tony swallowed the fear that suddenly rose in his throat and replied, "Yes, Boss," as he hastily punched the elevator's down button.

Out of the corner of his eye Jason saw a familiar figure approaching him and he turned to face her. "Emily how is he?" he asked.

She could see the concern in his eyes and she knew that he could read her just as easily. "As far as I know, Molly's going to be okay," she began. Then she took a deep breath and with unshed tears glistening in her eyes she continued, "Cam is being rushed into surgery. They won't let me operate because I'm too close, but I'm going to stay with him in the operating room. We won't know exactly what we're dealing with until we get in there." She paused and took Jason's hand in her own. "I called Nikolas and Lulu and they're both on their way."

Jason nodded his acknowledgement. He suddenly found it difficult to speak. Emily gave his hand a squeeze and turned to leave. Jason called out, "Em!" She turned to look at him as he choked out his question. "How bad is it?" A tear escaped her eyes and raced down her cheek as she whispered, "It's bad," and turning quickly she hurried back down the hallway toward the operating room where her best friend's son lay unconscious.

Jason just stood there staring into the empty space Emily had just occupied. His chest constricted with a pain he was all too familiar with. He found it difficult to breathe evenly and the room felt like it was spinning. Thoughts ran through his head like rabbits running for cover. How did this happen? There was no warning, no threat, he had provided bodyguards. He had promised Elizabeth he would protect her sons and now one of them was lying on a cold operating table fighting for his life. What would he tell her? How could he face her when he did find her and bring her home only to find that her eldest was gone? With effort he forced his thoughts to the back of his mind and made himself think rationally. Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket he pressed a number and waited for a response.

"Sonny," he said, "we need to put extra security on everyone."

"What happened?" the sleepy mob boss replied, trying to give himself time to wake up fully.

"Cameron and Molly were in a car accident," he said, his voice tinged with anger, "except it wasn't an accident. I'm at the hospital right now, but we need to double security at your place and Carly's. And send a couple extra guards to the penthouse because both Jake and Spencer are there. I have Spinelli and Tony investigating what happened right now, but I can't leave the hospital until I know Cam's okay so I need you to please do this for me."

"I'll make the phone calls," Sonny said, now fully awake and already rifling through a list of enemies in his head. "Do you need me to come down there?"

Jason sighed with grief and exhaustion, "No, it's okay. Nikolas and Lulu are on their way. I just need you to please make sure Jake is okay. Actually, if you could have them brought to your house I'd feel a little better."

"No problem," Sonny assured his friend.

"Sonny," Jason said before he hung up, "until I know exactly how Cameron is please don't tell Jake. He's been through enough and I'd rather give him good news than have him worry with the possibility of bad news."

"I'll take care of everything," Sonny said just before the phone went dead.

Jason had just replaced the cell phone in his pocket when he felt hands grab him from behind and spin him around. He instinctively moved to defend himself and stepping to the side he swung his arm out and was already pushing into the man's chest when he realized it was Ric. The older man's face was twisted with rage and hatred as he regained his balance and came at Jason again.

He grabbed the front of Jason's t-shirt and pulled the stronger man close in a threatening gesture, their faces just inches from each other he said angrily, "I told you to keep that little bastard away from my daughter!" Anger flashed in Jason's eyes as his hands moved up and easily removed the offending hands from their grasp. He would have pummeled the man's face in if Alexis hadn't suddenly intervened.

"Ric," she said with disapproval and a slight panic in her voice, "do you really want to waste time blaming Jason for our daughter secretly dating a boy or do you want to find out how she is?"

"Elizabeth's blind spot when it came to you may just prove to have been her biggest mistake," Ric said with venom in his voice before he hissed, "This isn't finished," and followed Alexis to the nurse's desk to find out where their daughter was being treated.

Jason walked blindly to the waiting area and slowly lowered himself onto one of the couches lining the wall. He held his head in his hands as he tried to quiet all the voices in his head that taunted him with blame. Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder and a concerned voice said, "Jason." He looked up into the caring face of Lulu Zacchara, her eyes full of fear and unshed tears, she asked, "Is he…?", but she couldn't finish the sentence.

Jason reassured her, "He's in surgery." He watched her as relief washed over her and she sat down next to him, taking his right hand in her left she placed her other hand on top of them and looked at him with renewed faith in her eyes. "It's going to be okay. He's a Spencer and a Webber. We're not known for giving up. He'll pull through. You have to believe that." And looking at her, he almost did.

Johnny and Nikolas each took seats nearby and the four of them sat in silence, each of them consumed with their own thoughts and fears. Johnny finally spoke up. "Do we know what happened?"

Jason glanced at Lulu and then toward Nikolas. Finally looking straight at Johnny he said, "Spinelli's investigating it. He'll call me when they have answers. Right now all I know is that it wasn't an accident." He looked back toward Nikolas and continued, "I called Sonny. He's picking up Jake and Spencer and taking them to his house for now. We've added extra security, but you might want to get Spencer home as soon as possible."

Nikolas nodded. It had been so long since any violence had erupted around Jason that he had almost forgotten how dangerous being near him could be. It worried him that suddenly someone was going after him through Cameron, especially since the Corinthos-Zacchara merger had made them the most powerful criminal organization on the Eastern seaboard. "Jake can stay with me for a while, if you'd like," he offered. It seemed to him an island would be pretty difficult for anyone to penetrate and he would be hiring his own security force as soon as day broke.

Jason looked at Nikolas with appreciation and replied, "I might just take you up on that." His phone started ringing and Jason quickly stood and retrieved it from his pocket, flipped it open and barked, "Morgan."

Spinelli's excited voice came crisp and clear over the air waves. "Stone Cold I wish to give you all my best wishes that Young Cameron will pull through this terrible tragedy. I am aware that you are wanting answers and so the Jackal felt it necessary to give you this most disastrous news as quickly as I was aware of it. The Well-Toned Tony and I have discovered the reason for the erratic driving of Young Cameron's vehicle this doomed evening."

"Spinelli!" Jason interrupted sharply, finally losing patience with his friend. "Just tell me, please," he said trying to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry," Spinelli stammered on the other end of the phone. "We have found a device that was planted underneath the car. It's essentially a computer override. It makes it capable for someone outside the vehicle to tap into the computer system of said vehicle and pretty much drive it by remote control. So it would appear that Young Cameron had no control of the car when it met its tragic end."

Jason closed his eyes in disbelief. He'd always thought the most dangerous thing when it came to traveling in a car was the possibility of a bomb taking out a loved one. He hadn't thought about the possibility of someone actually taking over the actual car, even though now thinking about it, it did make sense. The cars now were mostly computer anyway. "Can we track who manufactured the device?" he finally asked.

"The Jackal is currently working on that. Also when the Well-Toned Tony described to me the person he saw walking past them in the parking lot, he sounded of a familiar nature. Stone Cold," Spinelli said, pausing for effect, "I showed him the picture of our Mysterious Construction Worker at the sight of Fair Elizabeth's abduction and he identified him as the same person."

Jason nearly choked on the rage that was boiling up within his chest. "Spinelli, I don't need to tell you how important it is that you find out who made that device," he said barely able to control the anger in his voice. He hung up without saying goodbye and looked toward the three people still sitting, but hanging on every word of his conversation. He gave them a brief overview of what information Spinelli had discovered. He muttered something about getting coffee and strode down the hallway.

Quickly finding an empty room Jason shut the door behind him and just stood there for a moment, clenching his fists in rage, his mind reeling with the possibilities. The same person that had taken Elizabeth from him had tried to take Cameron as well. Suddenly he couldn't control it anymore and with a primal yell he struck his fist against the wall as hard as he could. The plaster gave way and his fist nearly disappeared inside the wall up to his wrist. Carefully pulling his hand out he gingerly brushed the drywall and paint chips from his now bleeding knuckles. He hadn't heard the door silently open and close.

"What's going on?" Johnny asked. When Jason didn't respond immediately he continued, "Listen I know we're not best friends or anything, but we're not enemies either and Cameron's family. Losing Lucky tore Lulu up and then to lose Elizabeth on top of that. If you know something, if someone is targeting people in my wife's family, I think I deserve to know."

Jason walked over to a shelf in the room and began opening drawers. Finding some antiseptic ointment and gauze he methodically began cleaning and wrapping his injured hand. Johnny stared at the man impatiently waiting for a response and then giving up threw his hands up in frustration and started to walk out the door.

"She's not dead," Jason said quietly, not really sure if he really wanted Johnny to hear him. But from the way the young dark haired man stopped in his tracks it was obvious that he had heard.

"What?" he asked as he closed the door and stepped back into the room.

Jason finished wrapping his hand and looked at Johnny. "Elizabeth's not dead. Someone kidnapped her and made it look like she drove her car off that cliff. They worked really hard to cover it up and right now Spinelli's been working on it day and night, trying to gather information so I can find out where she is and who has her." Jason paused and with raw emotion choked out, "Then tonight someone tried to kill Cameron. Johnny, I don't know who's doing this, but I don't think it has to do with business. I think it's personal."

Johnny rubbed his chin and began pacing the small space the room provided. "Obviously you can't tell anyone until you know for sure that you can bring her home. And you don't want whoever took her to know that you're on to them. But why would they choose now to go after Cameron?"

Jason had to smile at how quickly Johnny put everything together. He'd always known the kid was sharp and he was thankful now that he had stood his ground all the times that Sonny had wanted him dead. Johnny continued his train of thought, "I'll put out some feelers. It'll be real discreet, just to see if anyone's been talking revenge against you for something from the past. Maybe it's a family member of someone you took out. Word gets around. If it's business from your past that someone has decided to make personal I'll find out."

Jason nodded, "I'd appreciate that," he said. "I don't think I need to tell you that this needs to stay between us."

Johnny shook his head. "As long as Lulu doesn't ask me point blank if I think Elizabeth is still alive, then this will just stay between us. We should go get that coffee you said you were getting and head back to see if there's any news." Jason nodded in agreement and the two men left the empty hospital room.

It had been six hours since Cameron had been wheeled into the hospital on a gurney and still they had no news. Johnny had gone home hours ago ostensibly to check on their daughter, but he used the opportunity to start putting out feelers for anyone that would be targeting Jason. Nikolas and Lulu had chosen to stay at the hospital and wait for news with Jason, but the longer they waited the more fearful they became that the news when it did come would not be good.

They filled the time with childhood stories that Jason had never heard about the boys. Nikolas told him about the first time Cameron ever rode a horse. He was ten years old and the whole family had come over to Windemere. Cameron had been studying about the Native American's in school and he decided that he wanted to be one so he snuck out to the barn, opened the gate to one of the horse's stalls and climbed onto the beast bareback by climbing up the side of the stall and leaping onto the horse. He chuckled at the memory of the boy coming into the house covered in mud and scratches with a wide smile on his face. He insisted that he was a Comanche now and that everyone call him by his Indian name for the rest of the day, Rides Like Wind. The next day upon Emily's insistence, Nikolas had replaced all the latches in the barn with childproof locks. The time between anecdotes was filled with silence as they searched their brains for the next story in an effort to keep their minds distracted from the worst case scenarios that were running through their heads.

Jason had never drunk so much coffee in his entire life. He paced the hospital floors, continually checked his watch, and kept pulling out his cell phone and checking it for missed calls. At 5 AM he called Sonny to check on his son and was reassured that security for everyone he cared about had been doubled. He hadn't heard anything else from Spinelli, but he was certain that the young hacker was doing as much as he could to track down the identity of the man that had placed the device on the car. At 6 o'clock in the morning the sun was just starting to creep its way through the hospital windows and Nikolas and Lulu had gone on another coffee run when Jason suddenly heard a familiar voice from the nurse's desk.

"Can you tell me what room Molly Lansing is in?" the feminine voice asked the young blonde nurse standing on the other side of the circular counter. Jason's head shot up, unsure if he was hearing things or if it was truly her. And then he saw her. She stood with her back to him, her long, almost black hair reaching to well below her shoulder blades, she wore it straight. She leaned her slender 5'1" frame against the desk as if trying to read the information for herself from the computer screen the nurse was scrutinizing. She wore what looked to Jason like a designer suit, something Kate would wear. It was black and fit her as if it had been tailored exactly to her own specifications. The nurse said with a smile, "She's in Room 1003. It's just down the hall to your right."

"Thanks," the dark haired woman said and she started to walk in that direction when Jason finally found his voice and called out her name.

"Sam?"

The woman stopped dead in her tracks and then slowly turned and looked at the man whose voice she would recognize anywhere. She hadn't seen him in almost ten years and yet when she stared into those piercing blue eyes she still felt that familiar jolt he had always caused in her. "Jason," she said with surprise in her voice, although Jason thought he caught a hint of something else in her eyes it was gone too quickly for him to pinpoint exactly what it was. She walked over to him and held out her hands. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

He gave her an awkward hug. "Isn't that something I should be asking you?" he responded.

"I got a call from Alexis that Molly was in a car accident," she said as she looked around as if trying to spot an exit. "I happened to be in New York so I got the first flight into town. It sounded serious."

"It is serious," Jason said quietly. "She's going to be okay though," he said quickly. "Nikolas checked on her and Alexis a while ago. She has a concussion so they're keeping her here for 24 hours just for observation. Her left arm is broken and she has some cuts and bruises, but she's going to be okay."

Sam looked relieved and then asked, "So why are you here?"

Jason replied awkwardly, "Cameron was driving the car. He's still in surgery and we haven't heard anything." He wasn't sure how much Sam knew about how much his life had changed in the last few months. He hoped he wasn't going to have to explain his new living situation or lie to her about Elizabeth being dead.

Sam glanced away and when she looked back at him she looked distant, as if she had pulled down a wall that he wasn't allowed to see through. "Alexis told me about Elizabeth. That must have been horrible for you. You know, to finally have a chance to be with her and to be happy and then suddenly it's just torn away. It must be very painful." Jason was a little stunned at how matter-of-fact she was in her statement, but then he remembered how much he had hurt her and realized that seeing him had probably brought back a lot of old memories. He simply nodded.

Sam suddenly asked, "What was Molly doing with Cameron?"

"He was driving her home from the Valentine's Day dance," Jason replied softly, remembering in a flash how excited the young man had been that night before heading out the door. It seemed like a lifetime ago instead of just ten hours. "They were seeing each other against Ric's wishes," Jason finished.

"He's a lot like his mother, isn't he?" Sam said, unable to keep her long cultivated animosity toward Elizabeth from seeping out in her tone of voice. "He just cares about himself and what he wants and doesn't think about who gets hurt in the aftermath."

Jason was unable to hide his shock over Sam's statement. "What are you talking about?" he said angrily, "You've been gone for almost twelve years. You have no idea who Cameron is and you're basing your view of Elizabeth on your own contrived version of what happened all those years ago."

Sam suddenly seemed to come to her senses and she shook her head in apology. "I'm sorry Jason. I was just so worried about Molly this whole time trying to get here. Alexis didn't give me any details. I had no idea what had happened. You're right, I don't know Cameron. He probably really does care for my sister. I shouldn't have said those things, I'm just so tired from the flight and the stress of not knowing anything and then the relief that she's going to be okay…I just really don't know what I'm saying right now. I hope Cameron pulls through okay, but I should really go see my mother and sister. It was nice seeing you." And with that she turned and walked away leaving Jason mystified by her odd behavior and the unexpected sight of her.

He was still trying to collect his thoughts when a steaming cup of coffee was gently pushed into his hand. He looked up and smiled at Lulu. It was amazing to him that the troublesome, fearless teenager he had known had turned into such a steady, yet still fearless, adult. He was about to thank her for all her support when she suddenly stood up and walked away. When he saw who she was walking towards he followed her quickly.

Emily looked exhausted. Her hair was pulled back in a messy pony tail, the scrubs she wore were rumpled and drab, and there were dark circles under her eyes. But when Jason looked into her eyes his heart leapt with hope because he didn't see more loss there. Nikolas had followed them and he now stood by his wife and took her hand in his as a show of support for whatever news she was about to deliver.

"First of all," the young doctor began, "it looks like Cameron is going to be okay." She waited as everyone let out a collective sigh of relief and Lulu reflexively gave her a hug. "Why don't we sit down?" Emily suggested as she motioned back to the waiting area the three of them had just spent the last six hours in.

She began slowly, wanting to be sure to give them the details they would want and need to hear, trying to maintain her practiced doctor monologue. She had spoken to so many families through the years that she now had it down to a science. She knew the tone to keep, what volume her voice should be at, when to pause and explain things in more detail and when to brush over certain aspects that were unnecessary for the family to know. This was different. She was talking to her family about a boy she loved and had watched grow up and even though he had made it through the surgery the trauma of what he had gone through was still fresh in her mind and she didn't know yet how to separate her own emotions from her professional responsibility. She decided to just dive in.

"It was pretty bad. He had internal injuries so the first thing the doctors did was to find the source of the bleeding and try to fix it. They thought they were going to have to remove his spleen but they were able to save it. He coded twice on the table, however they were able to resuscitate him and repair all of the internal bleeding. There was head trauma so Dr. Drake did a CAT Scan and it doesn't look like there's any hemorrhaging but we'll have to wait until he actually wakes up to reassess any brain damage that may have occurred," she paused as tears welled in her eyes and she tried to gain control of her emotions. "He has a compound fracture of his left tibia, that's his leg," she explained, "At this point we just have to wait for him to wake up."

They all sat in silent shock. They knew when the surgery began that Cameron's injuries had been extensive, but listening to Emily recite everything the doctors had done to save him and the fact that twice his heart had actually stopped beating, was a cold reality to all of them of how close they came to losing him. Jason finally looked up at Emily and asked, "When can we see him?"

"You can see him now," Emily said suddenly feeling the exhaustion take hold of her, "but I would suggest just one at a time. At least until he wakes up."

Jason paused. He wanted to rush to Cameron's side. He felt a need to be next to him, to be certain that the young man he had recently come to know and respect and have great affection for was really going to be okay. But he also knew that of all the people sitting in that waiting area he had known Cameron the least amount of time and he didn't want to overstep any boundaries. Lulu spoke up and solved his imaginary problem for him.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked Jason with a smile on her face. "I'm going to call home and check on Johnny and Laura. Then I'll be over to see my nephew before I go home and try to get a couple hours of sleep."

Nikolas took his little sisters cue and said, "I'm going to take Emily home and check on the kids. I'll be back by noon to relieve you," he said to Jason, "so you can maybe get some sleep. Do you want me to bring Jake when I come?"

Jason nodded gratefully. "Thank you," he said sincerely. As the extended family dispersed he realized for the first time exactly what Elizabeth had given him when she decided to come forward with the truth of Jake's paternity. It wasn't just his son. She also gave him Cameron and Lulu and even Nikolas, who surprisingly was turning out to be a support system he hadn't expected. He took one last glance back at the people who were becoming his family before he hurried down the hallway toward the young man he was quickly coming to think of as a son.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **I am not a doctor, so obviously anything that has to do with that in this story is just from research on the internet and watching a lot of TV. Also this chapter is probably the shortest one.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters. They are the property of ABC and its affiliates; I claim no rights to them, I'm simply borrowing them for a story.

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

The initial shock of seeing Cameron lying in the hospital bed was starting to wear off. Lulu had stayed for another hour hoping that he would wake up but then she had to get home to her own daughter. Jason had used the opportunity to call and talk to Jake. He didn't go into details with his young son. He simply told him that Cam had been in an accident, he was in the hospital but he was going to be okay and that Uncle Nikolas would bring him to see his brother around noon.

That was two hours away and still Cameron slept. Jason sat in a chair next to his bed and just watched the young man breathe steadily in and out. Knowing how close they had all come to losing him it was now a comfort to watch his chest slowly rise and fall. There was a small part of Jason that was actually relieved that Elizabeth wasn't here to see this. That she didn't have to sit by Cameron's bedside and see his left leg in a cast that extended over his knee. That she didn't have to listen to the rhythmic beeping of the machines that were constantly tracking his vital signs. That she didn't have to see her son with small red cuts across his face from shards of glass that had flown at him during the crash or trace all the wires flowing from the machines converging on his body like some sort of amphibious octopus. Mostly he was relieved that he wouldn't have to look in her eyes and see the disappointment, the fear, even the anger. He had promised to keep them safe and once again he had failed.

He leaned forward in the chair and slowly took the young man's hand in his own. His rough, calloused hands held Cameron's gently, almost pleadingly. As he examined the softer contours of the hand he held he realized it belonged to a boy, a boy who hadn't yet had the chance to really live. He had so much potential, so much to learn, and so many chances for life and love. An unexpected wave of emotion caught Jason by surprise and he lowered his head as the tears he'd been trying so hard to hold back finally found their way out.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I was supposed to keep you safe. I was supposed to keep Elizabeth safe. I've spent my entire life protecting Sonny's family and now when it comes to protecting my own I just keep failing. None of you deserve this. You'd be better off without me in your lives, but now it's too late because you're all in my life and I don't think I have the strength anymore to be alone. I love you all too much. I'm so sorry Elizabeth. Cameron, I'm so sorry. This should have never happened."

"It's not your fault," a raspy voice said, catching Jason by surprise. His head shot up and he looked into groggy brown eyes.

"Cam," he breathed as he quickly wiped away any remnant of his emotional release. "How are you? Are you in pain? Should I call a doctor?" he asked in quick succession.

Cameron shook his head no slowly then mouthed the word water and Jason scrambled to fill the plastic cup that was left by his bedside with water. By the time he'd sipped enough to quench his thirst and the pain had subsided in his throat the remnant of the anesthetic that had been keeping him asleep was finally wearing off and he could think more clearly. He remembered a few years ago he'd been really sick and had taken a couple different over the counter medications to help him get some sleep. They had knocked him out so much that he'd had a difficult time waking up, his arms and legs refused to do what he told them to, and his mind felt sluggish and confused. That was how he felt right now only ten times worse.

He knew something bad had happened. He was obviously in the hospital and judging from what he'd woken up to it had been bad. He'd only seen his Dad cry once and that was when his Grandpa Luke passed away. Seeing the wet tears on Jason's face and hearing the emotion in his voice had been quite the jolt to wake up to. He glanced down at his leg and saw the cast, he heard the machines and felt the wires creeping up his arm, but still he couldn't remember what had put him in here. He concentrated on the last thing he remembered. The dance, he was at the dance with Molly and then what? Like a flash of lightning illuminating a pitch black sky he suddenly remembered the accident. The look on Molly's face when the wheel was suddenly ripped from his grasp, her screams of fear and pain as they tumbled through the air, the unforgettable sound of crunching metal and breaking glass.

"Molly!" he blurted suddenly, "where's Molly?"

Jason reached out and grabbed him by the shoulder to keep him from trying to sit up but it wasn't necessary. The drugs being pumped into his system did the job of keeping him immobile. "She's okay," Jason reassured the agitated young man. "She has a concussion and a broken arm, but I think Alexis already took her home. She's going to be okay."

Cameron grew visibly calmer and relaxed back into the bed. The energy he had used just to remember why he was lying in the bed in the first place was enough to exhaust him and his eyes had begun to drift closed when they suddenly opened in fear. "The car," he said with a gasp, "Jason I'm so sorry about the car."

Jason had to smile at that. He shook his head and reassuringly said, "I don't care about the car, Cam. All I care about is that you and Molly are going to be okay. Cars can be replaced, people can't." Jason rose from the seat he'd been in for the last three hours and stretched. He could see how tired Cameron was and he felt the need for more coffee. "I'm going to go get some coffee and let your doctor know that you woke up. Jake will be here in a while so you should try to get some more rest," he said as he headed towards the door.

"Jason," Cameron called out drowsily. He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. He could feel sleep pulling at him like some invisible force dragging him into warm darkness, but he knew there was something he needed to say, something he'd meant to tell Jason when he woke up. "Don't be sorry. You can't be everywhere. This wasn't your fault." As his eyelids lost out in the battle to keep them open he murmured, "I'm glad you're my family," and fell back into a drug and trauma induced sleep.

Jason stood at the foot of Cameron's bed and watched the boy's breathing become soft and rhythmic again, his face took on a peaceful almost boyish look as soft dark brown curls fell across his forehead. Choked with emotion Jason finally whispered, "I'm glad you're mine, too Cam," and left the room.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elizabeth figured it had been at least two days since her attempted escape because food had been delivered four times and she continued to assume that food was being delivered on an approximate twelve hour schedule. They were more careful now, though. They still wore masks so she wasn't sure who of them were the two she'd attacked, but now the first one in would point the submachine gun at her and force her to walk to the far corner of the room. The second gunman would leave the tray of food and then they would both back out of the room, never turning their backs on her. Part of her took pride in the fact that they now seemed to think of her as dangerous, but the other part of her was angry because now she had no idea how she might be able to escape. She had resolved herself to just be ready whenever the first opportunity to run presented itself.

She walked over to the tray and picking it up off the floor walked back to her bed and sat down. She had to give them credit; at least they were feeding her well. Today it was two oranges, a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar, some raw broccoli and cauliflower with some ranch dip, and a small package of graham crackers. She set the oranges and graham crackers aside, knowing from experience that she would need them for a snack before her next meal would arrive. As she picked up the bowl of oatmeal she realized there was something underneath all the bowls of food.

With growing curiosity she pulled out the manila folder that had been hidden under the food piled on the small tray. She looked up towards the cameras she knew were watching her and wondered what kind of game they were playing with her this time. Slowly she opened the folder and her brow scrunched up in confusion. After fifteen years as a nurse at General Hospital she instantly recognized that it was a patient chart.

She felt a sudden wave of nausea course through her body as she recognized the name on the chart. Cameron Spencer. For a moment she played with the possibility that the chart was fake, but she recognized doctor's names and handwriting and assumed that her captors couldn't fake that. A doctor's handwriting was difficult to duplicate especially to a well trained nurse who was used to reading it. With fear quickly rising up to choke her she rapidly read the file to find out how her son was.

Compound fracture of the left tibia. He'd be on a round of antibiotics she reasoned and then quickly saw the order for it to be given intravenously, confirming her own thoughts. She read every single entry in the file and in her mind she saw him on the operating table. She watched the scalpel slice through her son's skin and muscle. She stood by the table as they pushed gauze into his open wound to soak up the blood pooling in his abdomen, as they moved his organs around trying to find where he was bleeding from. She visualized the controlled panic in the surgery team's voices as they tried to get her son's heart to beat again not once, but twice. Tears streamed down her face as she read the nurse's notes on the chart, showing that he was getting continuing care which meant that he would be okay.

She turned the last page of the chart and her heart stopped in her chest. The sadists had given her pictures, not of her son, but of the car he'd been driving in. It didn't even resemble a car anymore. The roof and sides were crumpled inward like they'd been made of aluminum foil, where windows had once held glass there was just empty space, the driver's side door was pushed in like someone had decided to use a tree for a bat and the Mercedes had volunteered as the ball. Broken shards of glass glinted brightly everywhere like sunbeams glancing off snow.

Behind her son's patient chart and the visual of what was left of the vehicle she found a small slip of paper. It was handwritten in a block style. As she read the note she felt her stomach turn and she let the file fall to the ground as she rushed to the toilet and vomited. The note floated free of the file and drifted slowly to the floor face up, its large dark letters easily seen. This is your final lesson. Next time you'll receive his death certificate.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters. They are the property of ABC and its affiliates. I claim no rights to them; I'm simply borrowing them for a story.

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

As soon as the anesthetics were completely out of his body and he was able to think clearly Cameron made a choice about his recovery. The doctors prescribed painkillers along with his I.V. fluids. All he had to do was push a button and a dose of liquid oblivion would course through his body. He remembered what his mother had written, though. How his dad had become a drug addict from his stay in the hospital and it terrified him that the same could happen to him, so he refused to push the button unless the pain was absolutely unbearable. By the time he was finally released from the hospital he was only taking Tylenol to dull the pain in his leg and side where the stitches were. He was uncomfortable but in control and he preferred it that way.

During his stay in the hospital Cameron had very little time by himself. When he wasn't asleep it seemed like there was always someone there. Jake seemed afraid to leave his side. It always took a lot of convincing for him to go home with Uncle Nikolas each night. Jason insisted on staying the entire night with him, trying to sleep in an uncomfortable chair until Aunt Emily arranged for a cot to be provided. He couldn't believe how many people had stopped by to see him and make sure he was okay. Aunt Lulu and Uncle Johnny had brought Laura and she had drawn a purple flower on his cast. Carly and Jax had stopped by with Morgan. Even Jason's boss Sonny and his wife Kate had come to see him. And Aunt Emily used every excuse and opportunity to constantly stop and check on him during her shifts. Everyone visited his room, it seemed, except the one person he wanted to see most.

It had been almost a week since the accident and he was finally at home in his own bed, if not his own room. The fact that his cast covered three-fourths of his leg made it very difficult to navigate the stairs in the penthouse. He had been mildly surprised to be brought home and find that the pool table had been temporarily replaced with his bed. The lack of privacy was a short-term price to pay for the convenience of not having to take 30 minutes and endure excruciating pain just to go to bed. He was on bed rest until his stitches healed completely which would be a couple more days. They were worried that maneuvering around on crutches might put too much strain on the newly healing flesh and since he didn't want to spend one more second in the hospital Cameron had promised he would follow the doctor's orders. Now he regretted it because he was bored out of his mind. He'd caught up on his few assignments and finished the book he'd been reading and Jason still didn't have a TV.

There was a sharp knock on the door and the new man that was guarding the door quickly stepped in. "Cameron," he said, "There's a Molly Lansing here to see you."

"Let her in," Cameron said hurriedly, unable to contain the excitement in his voice. She walked through the door, her brown hair pulled back in a loose pony tail, her messenger bag slung over her shoulder. Cameron's eyes went instantly to her left arm. It was encased in a black brace being held close to her body by a sling that kept her arm immobile through the application of cloth and Velcro.

"He's new," she said with a smirk as the door man retreated back to his post.

"Yeah," Cameron affirmed, "Jason's increased security until he finds out who's after him." He glanced down at his hands resting in his lap as a fresh wave of guilt washed over him. He didn't think he'd ever forget the fear in Molly's eyes and he knew that he never wanted that look to be there again. He had a better understanding now of the choice his mother and Jason had made. They feared for him and Jake with good reason. He thought about his mom and what she had taught him. When you love someone more than yourself you make every sacrifice you can for them.

While he contemplated these things Molly crossed the room, dropped her bag on the floor by the bed, and gently climbed onto the bed with Cameron, being careful not to jostle his leg or her arm. She sat on the bed with her right leg curled under her left leg that was still dangling over the edge. She gazed at the boy beside her and saw the different phases of emotion play their way through his eyes even though he seemed unwilling to look her directly in the eye. Finally taking one of his hands in her one good one she began in a soft voice, "I wanted to see you in the hospital, but I had some things to take care of."

"It's okay," Cameron replied still unable to make eye contact. "It's probably better anyway."

"Don't say that," she said sharply, causing him to finally look up at her. She saw the pain in his eyes, the guilt that he was torturing himself with. "What happened wasn't your fault."

"I didn't take it seriously," Cameron argued. "I thought the guards were just for show, a way to keep anyone from even trying. You got hurt because you were with me. You could have been killed because I didn't take it seriously."

There was silence between them for a while and Cameron thought he had made his point until she spoke up as if he hadn't said anything at all. "Guess what I read this morning?"

Cameron gave her an incredulous look. "Did you not just hear me? If you stay with me you'll just keep getting hurt."

She refused to hear him and continued as if he was mute and she was deaf. "I don't normally read the newspaper, but it was just sitting there so I glanced through it while I was eating breakfast. It was so sad. This woman was walking home from work last night and a drunk driver swerved off the road and hit her. She didn't make it," Molly continued to ramble on. "There was a drive-by shooting too. They're pretty sure it was gang related, but a little ten year old girl was caught in the crossfire. She's in critical condition." Molly looked Cameron directly in the eye as she continued firmly, "And yesterday six people died in a plane crash in the Adirondack Mountains." She looked at him pointedly when she asked, "Did you know all of them?"

"What?" Cameron asked, caught off guard. He wasn't sure what she was getting at, but as she continued it dawned on him and he had to smile at her persistence.

"People get hurt Cam. People die and it's sad, but it's not your fault. Accidents happen, life happens, and yes, death happens. You of all people should know that," she said quietly, not wanting to hurt him with reminders of the loss of his parents, but still wanting to get her point across. "There are plane crashes, car accidents, and random shootings every day. Sometimes people escape with their lives and sometimes they don't, but what I choose to learn from that is that no one knows what's going to happen from day to day so you have to enjoy what time you have." She leaned in towards him so that her face was just inches from his and whispered, "Right now I choose to spend that time with you. Are you going to deny me my choice?"

Cameron let a slow smile grow across his face as he breathed back, "No, I could never deny you anything."

"Good answer," she replied as she leaned in and gave him the kiss she'd been dying to give him since the moment she'd walked in the door. She slowly pulled back and asked, "So aren't you going to ask me?"

"Ask you what?" Cameron replied confused not only from her change of subject, but also from the sudden absence of her lips on his.

"What was keeping me so busy that I couldn't come see you in the hospital," she replied coyly.

Cameron chuckled softly and obeyed, "What kept you so busy?"

"Well, I had such a wonderful time with you at the dance that I decided I didn't want it to be our last date and I also didn't want to have to keep sneaking around," she said with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. "So, I had a little conversation with my dad. I asked him to remember the way he felt about his first love and what he would have done if his dad had tried to keep him away from her. I reasoned with him that I realize that right now I need him and Mom and reminded him that up to this point I have been a very obedient daughter, but that in two short years I'll be 18 and I will get to choose how much time I spend with him." She paused for effect then finished, "I asked him how much time he'd like that to be and he agreed that as long as I follow a few guidelines then we can see each other."

A goofy smile had spread across Cameron's face halfway through her story. "First love, huh?" he said happily.

A blush of pink rose to Molly's cheeks before she could regain her normal playfulness. "Cameron Spencer, out of that entire tale of how I stood up to my dad and was all daring and laid it out on the table, that's the one thing you pick up on?!"

Cameron pushed himself forward so that he was just a hairs breadth away and then said slowly, "I am very impressed," before claiming her lips with his own. They explored each others mouths slowly, gently, each very much aware of the bruises and aches that were still plaguing each of them. The sound of the door handle being turned parted them quickly.

"Molly," Jason said with surprise when he saw the young girl quickly slide off the bed and pick up her bag from the floor, gently placing it across her shoulder.

"Hi, Mr. Morgan," Molly replied quickly, "I was just seeing how Cam was doing. This is a nice setup you have down here." Turning back to Cam she gave his hand a squeeze and said, "I'll see you later," and started to head toward the door.

"Please call me Jason," he responded then continued, "Does Ric know you're here?"

She gave Cameron a knowing smile and then said, "Yeah, he knows. We came to an agreement and he's decided to let me see Cam as long as I follow the rules."

"That's great," Jason responded trying to keep her in conversation. He didn't want her to feel like she had to rush off every time he was in the room. "How are you doing?" he asked gesturing toward her arm.

"Oh, it's fine. They said it's a hairline fracture and should be off in like four weeks or so."

"It must have been nice to see your sister. Do you get to see her often?" he asked.

Molly looked confused at first and then she remembered. "Oh, Sam. For a second I thought you were talking about Kristina. I haven't seen her since last summer because she spent her Christmas break from Yale skiing with some friends in Colorado. But yeah," she continued, "it was nice to see Sam. She was in New York last week so she was able to come see me in the hospital, but she only stayed for a day and then she had to get back to work."

"Oh," Jason said, trying to remain casual. He didn't want it to seem like he was cross examining her about Sam, but seeing her again had brought up a lot of questions he had long ago buried and now he had an overwhelming curiosity to find out what she'd been doing all these years. "Where does she work?"

"She has her own business," Molly answered completely unaware that she was in the middle of an interrogation. "I don't know exactly what it is. For a while she ran salvage boats, but then she sold it or expanded or something, I'm not exactly sure. It's called McCall Shipping, but I don't really get to see her very much because she runs it from the headquarters in Europe. It was just fortunate she was in the states when we had our accident. I was glad to see her," she finished with a smile.

"That's great," Jason replied. "I knew Sam back when she lived here and she always did love the ocean. Is she in London now?"

"No," Molly said as she opened the door to leave, "she's based out of some town in Greece. See you Cam. Bye Mr. Morgan, sorry," she quickly corrected herself, "Jason. Do you want me to tell Sam you said hi next time she calls?"

"That's okay," Jason replied with a smile, "I said hi to her at the hospital." He was about to ask Cameron if he needed anything when his cell phone rang. With a sigh he pulled it out of his pocket and answered. "We have answers. You need to come to the office," was all the voice said. He closed the phone, told Cameron he had to go back out on business and quickly left the Harborview Towers, a tingle of excitement and anticipation racing through him. Something inside was screaming that they were getting close to finding out where Elizabeth was.

Jason hadn't been gone long when Jake came home from school. He joined Cameron on the bed, sitting Indian style while he did the little homework he had and they shared a bowl of popcorn and orange sodas. Cameron suggested a game of backgammon and Jake raced upstairs and quickly returned with the game. They were in the middle of a close match when Jake changed the subject from the less trivial matters of who would be knocking whom off.

"Why are you nice to Jason now?" he suddenly asked his brother. "I thought you hated him."

Cameron looked a little surprised at the question then he sighed and answered, "I never really hated Jason. I was just angry. I was angry that Dad was dead and that Mom had kept this huge secret. But I think I was afraid too. I was afraid that this stranger that Dad never trusted was going to come into our lives and try to take his place, not just in our lives but in Mom's too, and I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want us to forget Dad like he'd never been there." He waited for his little brother to finish his turn and then with a small smile curling the edges of his mouth he looked into familiar blue eyes and said, "I was wrong about him. Jason's a good guy and he didn't want to replace Dad. He just wanted his own spot in our lives and our hearts. He deserves at least that much."

Jake looked unsure of his answer and then said, "I just don't get why Mom was ever with him in the first place. I mean, she loved Dad. She chose Dad."

Cameron corrected him, "She chose us, Jake," as he remembered her words and the anguish in them.

_I'm so exhausted. I haven't seen Cameron in two days. I miss my little boy, the smell of his hair, his tiny hands in mine, the way he curls up in my arms when I read him his bedtime stories. And now instead of tucking my little boy into bed and kissing him goodnight when I got home from my ten hour shift at the hospital I spent the last hour trying to bring Lucky's fever down and cleaning up his vomit. I'm not trained for this. Is this what I signed up for when I said I do? Is there something wrong with me because I'm still standing by him and taking care of him while he goes through withdrawals even after I saw him in bed with Maxie? I try to keep that picture out of my mind. I know that if I dwell on what Lucky's done I won't be able to take care of him during this. I won't be able to justify leaving my son at Gram's so much. But I know that I don't want Cam to see Lucky like this and if I were honest with myself I'd admit that I'm a little afraid that Lucky might actually hurt him in one of his drug induced rages._

"Dad wasn't perfect," he told his little brother. "He put Mom through a lot and she forgave him and then he hurt her again."

_What am I going to do? He's getting help now, I can't tell him about Jason. What if it sends him back to the pills and I lose him forever? Even if we never work our marriage out I still love that boy that saved me when I thought I would drown in my own kind of torment. I can't let Lucky lose everything he's worked so hard for and if he knows that I went to Jason after I saw him with Maxie again…I just don't know what to do. Part of me wants to tell him, to hurt him the way he hurt me. And part of me wants to just let go of everything and run back to Jason. I know his life is dangerous, but I haven't felt as safe as I did in his arms in years. He just lets me breathe. He calms my thoughts like no one else ever has. I feel stronger when I'm with him. But I have to stop thinking like that. He's trying to work things out with Sam and I need to be there for Lucky. And then there's Cam. I can't willingly put him in danger by being a part of Jason's life, no matter how good of a father I know he'd be._

"Jason was her friend and he helped her through a very hard time," Cameron said and then quietly added, "She loved him."

"No," Jake argued, "she loved Dad."

Cameron gave his brother an understanding smile. "Yes," he agreed, "she loved Dad. But she loved Jason, too. There are different kinds of love, Jake and you'll figure it out when you get a little older, but just think about it for a while. You love Aunt Emily and Aunt Lulu, right?" He waited for Jake to nod an affirmative then continued, "And you love Mom."

Tears sprung to Jake's eyes and he choked out, "Yeah."

"Do you love them the same way?" Cameron prodded.

Jake thought for a moment and then said, "No, I guess not. I mean I love my aunts, but I love Mom more. So Mom loved Jason, but she loved Dad more."

"No, Jake," Cameron replied, "she loved us more. She and Jason made a choice together that the two of us would have a safer more normal upbringing with Lucky as our father and they were right. But it doesn't mean that she didn't love Jason or that he didn't love her or you. It just means that they loved us enough to let each other go."

Jake was quiet for a while as he thought about what his brother was telling him. Then Cameron saw tears streaming down his face as Jake choked out, "I miss her Cam. I want Mom back." Cameron quickly pushed the backgammon board out of the way as Jake crawled to him. "Me too, Jake," Cameron whispered as he held his brother and they cried together over the still raw loss they both shared.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The office was definitely more crowded this time than his last few meetings had been with Spinelli. The hacker occupied his normal seat in front of the desk holding his computer. Johnny Zacchara sat quietly on the arm of the small couch that lined the wall and Sonny stood leaning against the opposite wall. Jason walked through the door in a rush and quickly closed it behind him. "What do you have?" he asked not really caring that he hadn't said so much as hello to anyone in the room.

Spinelli had a gleam in his eyes that had been gone for weeks. He had been spending every waking hour trying to track down the clues that would lead them to Elizabeth and had felt like he was failing Jason at every turn. But now he had answers. He had a name that he could give him. Now he was making progress. The fact that Sonny was now standing in the room helped put him into what he called "Mr. Corinthos Sir Mode" and he was able to speak in a clearer manner than normal.

"I have good and bad news. I'll give you the bad news first. I found the fake construction worker," he said quickly.

"How is that bad?" Sonny asked irritation clear in his voice. Even though the computer genius tried so hard to please him he'd never been able to completely respect the guy.

"He's dead," Spinelli answered. "The PCPD found him two days ago floating in the Port Charles River. I got access to the coroner's report and the official cause of death was a single gun shot wound to the head."

"He was a loose end," Johnny chimed in. "The thing is I haven't been able to find any leads," he continued. "As far as the organization is concerned no one's hunting you, Jason. Which makes me wonder if you're even the target."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"Is there anyway this is some sort of grudge against Elizabeth?" he asked the enforcer, being careful not to make it seem he was saying anything against the presumed dead brunette. "I mean maybe she made an enemy she didn't even know about. Maybe a patient of hers died and someone in the family is crazy and they blame her. Have you looked into that possibility?"

"Um, actually, I have," Spinelli spoke up. Jason looked at him in surprise and Spinelli hurried on, "The good news I have to report rules out any possible crazy patients or family members of said patients." He looked at Jason like a puppy asking for a treat and then said, "I did what you said and kept digging into the auto shop. The guy that actually serviced Fair Elizabeth's car was David Brennan. Now when I checked his financial records nothing came back looking fishy, but then I widened the search and I found something. He has a son, Matthew, and Matthew has a savings account with his dad as a co-applicant." Spinelli paused for effect, but when he saw the impatience grow on all three men's faces he realized the mistake and spilled the rest of his story quickly. "One week before Fair Elizabeth brought her car in to be serviced for a faulty heater there was a $10,000 deposit made in Matthew Brennan's savings account."

"Then it was the kid," Sonny said angrily.

"No," Spinelli replied with fear in his voice at contradicting the mob boss. "Matthew Brennan is six years old."

Johnny spoke before anyone else had a chance. "I'll have the guy picked up." Speaking to Jason he said, "You can have a conversation with him at the K Street safe house."

Jason nodded his agreement to the younger man then asked Spinelli, "Was there anything else?"

Spinelli nodded and said, "I saved the biggest for last."

"Spit it out!" Sonny yelled angrily. He had no patience when it came to this guy.

"You know the Neptune Fishing Company truck that was reported stolen?" he stammered. When Jason nodded he continued, "It still made its delivery that night."

"What?" Jason said in disbelief.

"I checked all the ships that were in harbor the night Fair Elizabeth was abducted. Only one of them was shipping seafood from the Neptune Fishing Company and according to the captain's manifest the truck with the same identification as the one reported stolen showed up and unloaded its shipment onto the ship."

"What was the name of the ship?" Jason asked as excitement coursed through his body. Finally they had a lead. He had a person to question and a boat to chase down, but they had a lead.

"Oceania," Spinelli answered, having memorized all the information he knew he'd be asked before calling this meeting. For the first time he didn't wait for them to question him before giving the men the next piece of information they'd want. He volunteered it. "The ship set sail for the port city of Patras, Greece the morning after Fair Elizabeth was captured, however it is currently in the middle of the Indian Ocean on its way to Sydney, Australia with a shipment of recycled microchips."

"Can you track who owns the ship?" Jason asked anxiously.

"I already did," Spinelli answered as a slight twinge of unease crept into his eyes. He swallowed hard and then looked at his worried friend and said, "The ship Oceania is owned by Cassadine Enterprises."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: **I do not own these characters. They are the property of ABC and its affiliates. I claim no rights to them; I'm simply borrowing them for a story.

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Jason strode through the door with purpose. He held his back ram rod straight, his jaw clenched so tightly shut that you could see the muscle definition along his neck. He didn't have to look around the small room to know there was a man carrying a gun standing in the far left corner and another man standing just to his right. His gaze was solely directed to the man sitting in the wooden chair in the center of the room.

His hands were expertly tied behind his back and pulled downward towards the legs of the chair to keep him from trying to wriggle loose. Each leg was secured to a leg of the chair so tightly that he couldn't turn his ankles and the chair was just tall enough that his feet barely touched the floor. There was no possible way for him to get leverage to loose his bonds. There would be no escaping and the fear and knowledge of this fact showed in his deep green eyes. His face was wet from tears and sweat. His dark blonde hair was disheveled.

Jason's blue eyes locked on him like cold steel as he walked to the bound and gagged man. "Do you know who I am?" His voice was almost a whisper but there was no gentleness in his tone. The man vigorously nodded his head yes as drops of sweat freed themselves from his forehead and sprinkled his shirt.

"Do you know why you're here?" Jason continued. The man shook his head no and grunted through the piece of cloth shoved in his mouth. Over the years the mob enforcer had perfected his interrogation techniques to a science. He could tell instantly that this man was not a professional and he would most likely tell everything he knew with very little prodding. He was a little disappointed about that because he was in desperate need of an outlet for the anger and frustration building within him.

Jason slowly leaned down to eye level with the terrified man and said very calmly, "I'm going to remove that gag from your mouth and you're going to answer every single question I ask you with the truth. If I think you're lying to me at any time then this conversation will be over." He paused to be sure his point was made before he asked, "Do you understand me?"

Another sweat spraying nod and Jason reached over and removed the gag, letting the saliva stained cloth fall to the ground. The man coughed and sucked in air as if he'd been suffocating before that moment. He kept trying to swallow but his throat was dry and his fear made it difficult to produce more saliva. Jason never took his eyes off the mechanic as he stated, "Approximately two months ago you fixed the heater in Elizabeth Spencer's car."

He saw realization spark in the man's eyes. There were tremors of fear in his hoarse voice as the man began to stammer, "I swear I didn't know she was going to get hurt. I've always liked Mrs. Spencer. She was always so nice. I thought it was for her protection. The guy said he was private security and all I'd have to do is put this tracking device he gave me in the air vent while I was fixing the heater. It seemed so harmless." He was crying now, partly out of fear and partly from regret. He sniveled, "I would never hurt Mrs. Spencer on purpose."

Jason was barely grasping the edges of his control when he asked through clenched teeth, "Who gave you the device?"

"I don't know," he choked out and at the look on Jason's face he quickly stammered on. "He was about your height, but slightly less built. He, um, he had dark hair, almost black and dark brown eyes. I didn't get a name."

Jason stared down at the trembling man and felt a hint of pleasure when he flinched as Jason reached into his back pocket to retrieve something. What David Brennan had thought was going to be a gun turned out to be a picture. It was grainy and a difficult angle to see but he knew instantly that the man dressed as a construction worker in the photo was the same man that had approached him about Mrs. Spencer's car and he was all too eager to verify that for Jason Morgan.

Jason paced the small room as he realized he'd reached yet another dead end. The man he really needed to talk to was dead, most likely killed by the person who had put this entire thing into action. He acted as if he was about to leave and then suddenly turned and questioned David once more. It was a tactic he'd used many times in an effort to give his prey a false sense of relief. "You said you didn't think she'd be hurt," Jason said angrily as he walked back to stand in front of his captive. "Did you honestly think a private security company would pay a mechanic $10,000 to put a tracking device on a client they were being paid to protect? Do you think I'm stupid? You knew there was something wrong about the whole thing but you did it anyway." Jason's voice had begun to rise as he let some of the rage he felt spill over on the mechanic.

David Brennan squirmed in his chair as his heart pounded so hard he thought it would actually burst and fear choked his throat. He had known it was wrong. Something inside him had known that what the dark haired man had told him was a lie, but for $10,000 he was willing to pretend he believed it. Now he saw the look on Jason Morgan's face and realized that choice would probably lead to his death. "Please," he cried out, "I have a son."

Jason's eyes flashed with rage as he turned back toward the door. "So did she," he said menacingly. He could hear the man begging for mercy from behind the door as he stood on the porch of the safe house and calculated his next move. Johnny stood quietly beside him waiting for his decision. "Don't kill him," Jason finally said. "Just make sure he understands the folly of his actions and what a mistake it would be for anyone to find out this conversation ever took place."

Johnny simply nodded to Jason that he understood, but as he walked down the steps toward his waiting motorcycle the young man asked, "What are you going to do now?"

With determination in his eyes Jason responded, "Now I need to see a prince about a boat."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nikolas hung up the phone and rubbed his tired eyes. He'd been in talks with investors for months to start a drug rehabilitation center that would be attached to General Hospital. They were supposed to break ground next month but one of the investors was thinking of backing out. Nikolas had spent the entire day on the phone trying to talk him into staying with the project and looking for backup investors just in case. He sighed loudly and stood up from his chair, stretching his aching back muscles in the process.

It was all set now. The Lucky Spencer Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center would break ground in March, just in time for the one year anniversary of his brother's death. He had considered using his brother's full name but Lulu had pointed out that Lucky had never gone by Lucas Lorenzo Spencer, Jr. and besides they'd need another whole building just to hold the name of the facility. He let himself chuckle at the memory as he poured a finger of 15 year old single malt scotch into a glass and took a drink.

He had just set the glass down on the table when he suddenly felt hands grab him from behind and spin him around. He was shocked to be looking into Jason's angry face as he was propelled backwards and into the wall. "Where is she?" Jason hissed angrily.

Nikolas was confused not only by the sudden violence but also by the question. "What are you doing?" he said as he tried to pull free from Jason's grasp.

He was simply slammed back into the wall and the same question was yelled, "Where is she? What have you done with her?" There was a gasp to Jason's left and then Emily was there trying to pull his hands free from her husband.

"Jason, stop!" she cried out in panic. "What is wrong with you?"

He released his hold on the Cassadine prince but his anger was still intact. At this point though he wasn't sure if the rage he felt came from actually thinking that Nikolas was involved in Elizabeth's kidnapping or from the frustration of not having already found her.

Nikolas smoothed out his shirt and motioned to Emily that he was okay. "Jason," he said trying to remain calm even though he'd just been attacked in his own home by a man he had come to consider as family, "I don't know what's going on. Maybe if you explain it to me instead of blindsiding me I can help. Who are you looking for?"

"Elizabeth," he whispered. He saw the concerned look pass between the married couple and realized they thought he was crazy. "I have proof that she didn't die in the car accident. I believe she's on a ship called the Oceania and that ship is owned by Cassadine Enterprises." Jason stared at the two unbelieving people in front of him and waited for a response.

Nikolas finally spoke. "It's possible that we own that ship. Let me make a call and then we can all sit down and you can fill us in on why you think Elizabeth is still alive."

Jason nodded and headed toward the couch. He suddenly felt exhausted. He realized he shouldn't have attacked Nikolas the way he had. He hadn't intended to, but when he saw him he just couldn't hold it in anymore. He was going to need a long bike ride to calm himself before he went home to his boys. He smiled to himself and let himself enjoy the knowledge that they were _his_ boys. He heard Nikolas finishing his conversation. "I want all the information you have on it immediately." Emily chose to sit next to Jason as Nikolas took the chair.

"My assistant is going to compile and fax over all the information we have on The Oceania," he said and then he waited for Jason to begin his story.

Jason took a deep breath and looked at Nikolas with regret in his eyes. "I'm sorry I just came at you like that. It's just been so frustrating knowing that she's out there somewhere and still having no idea who has her. That ship is the first real lead we've had."

"Who's we?" Emily asked.

"At first it was just me and Spinelli but since the attempt on Cameron's life Johnny and Sonny have been helping."

"What makes you think Elizabeth's alive?" Nikolas asked leaning forward as he began to realize perhaps it wasn't just wishful thinking on Jason's part.

"We found video footage of Elizabeth being put in a delivery truck and someone else driving off in her car. The guy in the footage is the same one Tony saw in the parking lot the night Cameron's car lost control and he's the same guy the cops pulled out of the river a few days later with a bullet in his head that I didn't put there. Now, initially we didn't think the truck she was taken in was important because it was reported stolen, but they made a mistake," Jason paused and looked at the two people that were now hanging on his every word. "The truck made its delivery. The ship it delivered to was The Oceania. What's the best way to keep someone who's supposed to be dead from being found?"

"Keep them moving and somewhere where there's no chance of escaping," Nikolas answered for him. They all sat in silence for a while. Jason was running what he knew through his mind again trying to see if he missed anything and Nikolas and Emily were quickly coming to the realization that their friend was alive. Emily was the first to speak.

"We have to find her," she whispered with tears in her eyes, "We have to bring her home."

"We will," Nikolas said reassuringly as he reached over and took her hand in his.

"Until I can bring her home I don't want the boys knowing," Jason told them. "I just want to be sure that I can give them good news."

All three heads suddenly turned toward the desk at the sound of paper feeding through the fax machine. Nikolas leapt from the chair and was closely followed by the other two. He scanned the papers quickly as pages of information on the ship in question issued forth from the machine.

"Okay," he finally said, "Cassadine Enterprises does own The Oceania, but it's a ship we lease out. It's not dedicated to any one of our distributing companies so we lease it to companies that don't have their own shipping line." Nikolas paused as he read more information. "It looks like it's been leased by a few companies in the last three months."

Jason suddenly interrupted. "Could I give all that information to Spinelli? Maybe he can find some sort of link or lead from the companies."

"Yes, of course," Nikolas looked uncertain about his next statement but continued anyway. "Jason I really don't think she'd still be on this ship. I mean, three different companies have leased it since she was taken. Do you really think they'd be able to keep her on a ship where the crew was always changing?"

Jason stared at the floor for a moment and then he raised his gaze to look the younger man directly in the eye and Nikolas saw fear there, but he also saw determination.

"I don't know Nikolas," he responded, a pain in his chest making his voice waiver slightly. "I can't even pretend to know what the purpose was in faking her death except to cause pain. What I do know is that it's not business, it's personal. And whoever orchestrated this whole thing went through a lot of trouble to never be found out and I'm going to follow every lead no matter how small. What I do know is that no matter what it takes I will find Elizabeth and I will bring her home."

Nikolas looked down at the papers in his hands and then back at Jason. "I want to go with you when you do," he said. When he saw Jason begin to object he raised his hand to silence him. "Someone used a Cassadine ship to take away one of my best friends. They used my company to inflict the worst kind of pain on people I love, on my family. I'm going with you," he said and it was clear that there would be no arguing about the matter.

Jason silently reached out and took the papers from Nikolas. "I'll call you when I have more information," he said as he left Windemere as quickly as he had come.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: **These characters belong to ABC and its affiliates. I claim no rights to them; I'm simply borrowing them for a story.

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Cameron was worried about Jason. Ever since he'd come home from the hospital he seemed distracted and anxious. He had caught him staring into space more than once and every time his phone would ring he would jump as if struck by lightning. Cameron wasn't sure what was going on but he knew that something was wrong.

He was working up the courage to ask him about it when Jake came running down the stairs. "I need to talk to you guys," he said in a serious tone that instantly grabbed both men's attention.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked with concern.

"Nothing's wrong," Jake assured his father. "I've come to a conclusion," he stated matter-of-factly, as if this epiphany of his would be the matter of course for everyone involved to follow.

Cameron let an amused smile dance across his face before he asked, "And what conclusion would that be?"

"I've been thinking about what you said about there being different kinds of love." Jason looked toward Cameron in surprise but couldn't make eye contact when the young man suddenly found a piece of lint on his bed very interesting. He wondered what the two brothers had been talking about.

Jake continued to plow ahead with his idea. "Jason you're my dad and I love you."

Jason looked at his young son in shock. He'd never heard those words come from his mouth and the sound of it made his heart swell in his chest. He was about to respond when Jake continued.

"The thing is that for twelve years of my life Lucky was my dad. I loved him and I still do. I guess I felt like if I loved you too, that it was like betraying him," the young boy spoke with tears glistening in his blue eyes. "Cameron you made me realize that it was okay to love them both."

Cameron smiled at his little brother and assured him, "It is okay."

"But it doesn't seem fair," Jake continued. "It's not fair that I have a dad and you don't. Then I remembered something Mom used to say. Family are the people who take care of you without you ever having to ask. Jason's been that for both of us. So I think he should adopt you so we can both have a dad," he concluded as if this was the only logical conclusion.

Cameron looked shocked and embarrassed. He knew his brother had just put the older man in an awkward position and he was about to say something when Jason spoke. "I love you Jake," he said softly. "I know that Lucky was a good father to you and I would never try to take that away. I'm glad that you can find room in your heart for me, too."

He looked directly at the boy lying on the bed with his immobile leg lying prone on a pillow and said, "I love Cameron, too. I would be proud for him to think of me as a father."

Turning back to his young son he said gently, "But adoption is a big step and it would have to be a decision your brother made. How Cameron feels is his choice and it would be wrong for us to try to force him into feeling something he doesn't or doing something as permanent as what you propose."

Jake looked pleadingly at his brother. "Cam, I thought you liked Jason. Don't you want us to be brothers? Don't you want a dad?"

Cameron choked back the pain those questions caused him. Of course he wanted a dad, but he'd already gone through two and he couldn't chance losing a third. "Jake," he said with emotional conviction, "no matter what happens we'll always be brothers. That has never depended on who our dad was. And yes," he said glancing quickly toward Jason and then back to his brother, "I do like Jason, a lot. But he doesn't need to be my dad for us to be a family and you don't need to hold back your feelings because you're afraid to hurt mine."

Jason's phone rang and he walked a few feet away to answer it. While the boys continued to talk Jason hung up and made a quick phone call and then walked back toward the hospital bed set up in his living room. "Jake I need to talk to Cameron for a minute in private, please."

"Okay," Jake said. Then he grimaced, "I have a book report I should start anyway," and headed toward the stairs. "Hey Dad," he suddenly said before he was out of sight.

Jason turned toward him with tears of joy wetting his eyes. "Yeah?" he asked.

Jake shrugged, "I just wanted to see how it felt."

"And?" Jason asked with a smile.

"Pretty good," Jake said as he bounded up the stairs.

Jason breathed deeply in an effort to compose his emotions then he turned to Cameron with a smile.

"What's up?" the young man asked. He was desperately hoping things would get less emotional.

"That was Spinelli," Jason said, excitement suddenly coursing back through his veins as he remembered their short conversation. "I've been waiting for him to get me some information and now that I have it I need to leave town. I'm not sure how long it's going to take though. I can't leave you here alone so while I'm gone Lulu and Laura are going to stay with you guys."

"What about Uncle Johnny?" Cameron asked.

"He's coming with me," Jason answered cryptically.

Cameron chewed his lower lip nervously and then said, "Listen, if you're going after the guy that did this to me I'd rather you didn't. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to either of you because you were trying to avenge me. Jake can't lose you and," he paused and then added quietly, "I can't lose you."

Jason reached out a comforting hand and placed it on his shoulder. "I can't tell you where we're going or what we're doing, but I can tell you that the guy that put you in this bed has already been dealt with." At the look on Cameron's face Jason added, "Unfortunately, not by me. I promise you Cameron I will do everything within my power to come home to you and Jake."

Cameron nodded and then struck by a memory he said, "Is Aunt Lulu going to take me on my appointment Monday to get my stitches out?"

Jason smiled, "Yeah, and listen I'll just be a phone call away. You can call me for anything." Jason paused and continued, "I don't know what to expect on this trip but I don't want Jake to worry."

"I'll take care of him," Cameron assured him.

Jason looked as if he was done but then he looked Cameron in the eyes and said, "I meant what I said before. It wasn't just for Jake's benefit. I do love you Cameron and I would be honored if you thought of me as a father. I know I'd be proud to have you as a son."

The emotion in his voice and the sincerity of what he said caught Cameron by surprise. Everything was still so new. He knew he cared for Jason and he was glad he'd given the man a chance. He looked up to him and respected him, but something held him back from being honest with him about his feelings.

He was afraid. His biological father had died before he was born in a police shootout. The father he'd been raised by was killed in a drug bust gone badly. Another police shootout. He knew what Jason did for a living and he couldn't take the chance of losing another father too soon. Deep inside he was afraid that he was some sort of bad luck charm and he couldn't risk that it might be true.

"Thanks," he finally whispered. He didn't know what else to say.

Jason simply smiled and softly said, "It's okay." Letting the young man off the hook he turned toward the stairs before Cameron could see the hurt in his eyes. "I'm going to pack and say goodbye to Jake. I'll call when I can." In less than ten minutes he was gone and Cameron was left alone with his thoughts and regrets.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Cassadine jet hummed softly as it cruised in a southeasterly direction 35,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. Unfurled papers laid across a conference table, steaming cups of coffee holding down three of the four corners. Nikolas pointed to an area on the schematics before them. "If she's still on the ship this is the most likely place she'd be kept. Back when it ran on diesel these compartments housed the engine crew, but when it was converted to hydro-energy engines this entire section under the cargo hold became unnecessary. It would be deserted."

"The perfect place to keep someone you don't want found," Johnny chimed in. All three men were silent for a moment as they contemplated their own thoughts and anxiety of their upcoming task. Johnny picked up a folder that had been placed to the side and rifled through the pages it held for the hundredth time. "It doesn't matter how long I've known Spinelli, it still amazes me that he can find these things."

Jason smiled at the compliment toward his friend. "Apparently it was the company names that tipped him off. Neptune Fishing Company, Phoenix Technologies, and Aphrodite Fragrances. He thought it was strange that all three names referenced Greek mythology, although he went off on Neptune actually being a Roman god that was often mixed up with some Poseidon guy. I don't know," Jason said shaking his head as he recalled the excitement in the computer genius' voice as he related his discovery. "The point is all three companies were extremely well hidden subsidiaries of one company."

"Nemesis," Johnny read from the papers. "But he couldn't find who owns Nemesis?"

Jason shook his head no. "But he does know where the ship is and he's working on finding out who owns Nemesis. Apparently it's a privately owned company with diverse interests and the owner is a reported recluse. No one's ever even seen the guy. He does everything through proxies. It doesn't matter though, Spinelli will find him. I have no doubt about that."

Nikolas looked at Jason with his brow furrowed in concentration. "Nemesis is a strange name for a company. What are they trying to say? They're the archenemy?"

Jason's hand straightened out invisible wrinkles on The Oceania blueprints in front of him as he replied quietly. "Spinelli had something to say about that, too."

Both men waited expectantly for him to continue. "I guess the word nemesis hasn't always meant what it does now. Just like the companies it owns it had its start in mythology."

He was interrupted by the captain's voice. "Prince Cassadine we are nearing our destination and will begin our descent in ten minutes. Please secure yourself and your companions for landing as soon as possible."

Johnny silently grabbed their coffee cups and disposed of them as Nikolas rolled up the blueprints and placed them in his leather duffel bag. Jason rose from his seat and retrieved a large black case and placed it on the now clear conference table. After entering a combination he opened the case and pulled out a Glock 9mm and began attaching a silencer. The other two men reached in and followed suit as they armed themselves with sidearms, leg holsters, and extra magazine clips. They weren't sure what kind of resistance they would be facing, but whatever it was they'd be prepared.

As Johnny holstered his gun in the back of his jeans he said, "You know I've never been to Greece."

"One of the perks of having a private island with an airstrip," Nikolas smiled as he holstered his own gun, "is no airport security."

As the three men sat buckled in their seats and felt the familiar lurch of wheels hitting tarmac Johnny remembered there was something he'd meant to ask. "Hey Jason. What did Spinelli say nemesis used to mean?"

Jason looked at Johnny with concern in his eyes and fear clenching his jaw muscles tight. With a calm he didn't feel he said, "According to Greek mythology Nemesis is the goddess of vengeance."


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters and I claim no right to them, it's simply a story. They are the property of ABC and its affiliates.

**A/N: **I've left the rating the same, but I do want to warn people that there's some violence and death in this chapter. It's nothing more than what they portray on the show, in fact probably a little less, but I just wanted to give a warning for anyone with those sensitivities. Also thanks so much for all the reviews. I really appreciate your feedback.

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Elizabeth had never considered herself to be a vain person. She knew that she had features that some people would consider attractive, but she had never spent a lot of time working on her aesthetic beauty. She had enjoyed an occasional manicure and a few times she and Emily had received spa days as gifts. Now she stood in front of the tiny metallic sink in her cell and looked at her distorted reflection in the plasticized glass mirror that was attached to the wall.

Her hair hung around her face like damp seaweed. It was dark with oil and had lost the light bounce she hadn't realized she liked so much. She had attempted to wash her hair in the tiny sink a few times, but it was so small and her hair was so thick that water had simply overflowed and the single bar of hand soap just didn't work very well. She pulled her hair back into the ponytail she'd become accustomed to wearing it in, but it only made the paleness of her skin more pronounced.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been in this room, but however long it had been was the amount of time since she'd seen sunlight. In a tired routine she washed her face, then squeezed out a drop of toothpaste onto her finger and did the best she could with it. They had never brought her a new toothbrush after she'd turned the last one into a weapon.

Elizabeth stood at the sink for a while then, turning off the faucet, she slowly crossed the short distance to her bed and laid down facing the wall. She was tired and didn't feel well. The threatening note and the report on Cameron had sent her spiraling into another bout of depression. She no longer glared menacingly at the guards who brought her food. She simply stayed in bed and refused to look at their masked forms.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she let her mind wander over memories. She remembered the joy of playing with her sons in the park, the warmth of the sun on her face, a refreshing breeze rustling through the trees. She had taken so many seemingly insignificant things for granted. She promised herself that if she ever escaped from this place she would appreciate every single moment of freedom.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Under the cover of darkness they had arrived at the docks by 9 o'clock. Spinelli had given them the docking information so when The Oceania slipped into port at 10:30 that night they were well hidden and in the perfect position to watch who came and went from the ship. They waited for an hour as crewmen moved about the deck and then departed to do what sailors do when they make land.

Like shadows slipping through fog they quickly and silently made their way onto the ship. The blueprints were imprinted in their minds and they moved wordlessly towards their destination. After entering the cargo hold Jason withdrew his gun and paused outside the door leading to the lower level. He made eye contact with Johnny and Nikolas and when each nodded that they were ready he opened the door and moved quietly down the stairs.

His heart instantly began to race at the sound of voices that shouldn't have been there. They were coming from an open door down the hallway and to his left. When he was just outside the door he waited to hear what they were saying.

"She's in a room she can't get out of. I don't see why I have to stay here at all," a nasally accented male voice said.

A deeper voice responded, "Because the boss wants her guarded all the time, that's why. Besides she's more dangerous than she looks. She killed Peter with a toothbrush because he thought she was harmless. Don't make that mistake."

The nasally man replied, "Yeah, but she's given up since then. I mean have you seen her lately?"

"Don't trust it," the deep voice said angrily. "She's a fighter and you give her a chance she'll scar you just like she did me. Now just do your job and stop complaining."

She was on this ship. There was no doubt in Jason's mind and the realization that he was within feet of her nearly made him jump with anticipation. Suddenly one of the men walked out of the room and into the hallway.

Jason saw shock register in his eyes at the sight of the three men with guns. Jason swiftly grabbed him by the throat and threw him against the wall as Johnny entered the room. He heard the nasally man cry out and the familiar sound of a gun scraping metal as the man tried to recover from his surprise followed by the soft thump of a silenced bullet tearing through flesh and the thud of a body hitting the floor. Jason focused his attention on the man in front of him struggling for air.

"Where is she?" he growled. There was no response from the deep voiced man and he could see from his eyes that he wouldn't get one. He nodded at the mottled red scar tissue that created a spider web across the man's left jaw and neck. Smiling he asked, "Did she do that to you?" Leaning in he whispered, "I can do a lot worse."

With little effort Jason flung the man back across the hallway and released him, causing him to fly through the open doorway and crash into the table in the middle of the room. The man gasped for air and grabbed his side in pain. As he started to rise Jason saw the flash of metal in his hand and fired one shot from his silenced gun. The small pistol the man had concealed fell with a clatter to the ground as he crumpled next to it.

The three men stood in the room, adrenaline pumping through their veins. "What now?" Nikolas asked.

Johnny gave them both a wicked smile and held up a key ring with two keys dangling from it. "I say we try what's behind door number two."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elizabeth heard the familiar click of the lock on the door. She lay perfectly still, keeping her back to the door. Something didn't feel right. It didn't feel like there'd been enough time since the last food drop off. Then she heard feet moving slowly across the cold steel floor. They were coming toward her. Her body instinctively tensed for a fight. Then she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and a familiar voice she thought she'd never hear again whispered, "Elizabeth?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About twelve feet from the guard's room they found a locked door. With slightly shaking hands Jason slipped the key into the lock. It turned easily and he pushed the door open. Johnny and Nikolas each had their guns drawn, but when they saw who was in the room they lowered them. Jason walked slowly into the small gray room, his eyes quickly taking in every inch of what could only be called a prison cell.

He looked at the small form lying on the cot with her back to him, her legs curled up slightly toward her body. When she didn't move or even look up when the door opened he felt cold fingers of fear grip his heart. As he walked toward her he could see her muscles involuntarily tense and he knew she was aware of his presence. He gently reached down to touch her shoulder, partly to try to comfort her and partly to make sure for himself that she was really there.

"Elizabeth?" he whispered. He felt her body tense as she rolled away from his touch and into a crouching position on the bed with her back to the wall. With pain in his eyes he realized in that moment she looked like a caged animal.

Elizabeth's mind had been so ready to fight that even as she recognized Jason's voice her body still reacted. She felt the cold steel wall against her back as she looked at the men standing in front of her. It took her a moment to realize they didn't wear masks. She closed her eyes in confusion. This is a dream, she told herself. You're dreaming again. But when she opened her eyes they were still there. Nikolas and Johnny stood by the door looking strong but sad. Then her eyes focused on the man in front of her.

He stood there before her like a stone wall that no one could break through. Finally her dark blue eyes locked onto his concerned ice blue ones and she suddenly lost sight of him in the wave of tears that broke forth as she whimpered, "Jason," and crawled into his waiting arms.

Jason instantly scooped her up into his arms and the group quickly made their way off the ship without incident. The Zodiac they had left at the edge of the pier was still tied there and they quickly made their way five miles out to Nikolas' yacht which took them the rest of the way to his island. No one said a word the entire trip. The happiness they felt at finding Elizabeth was soon replaced with concern over her. She seemed to be in some sort of shock. Besides uttering Jason's name once in the room she hadn't made a sound. She looked pale and sickly and they were all consumed with worry.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elizabeth sat quietly on the bed. She gazed around her slowly taking in her surroundings. There was a dresser and an end table with a lamp on it. The room was unfamiliar to her, but it was well furnished. There was a door to her left that she could see led into a private bathroom. She felt as if she were being assaulted by too much information and her mind just couldn't process it all quickly enough. She looked to her right on the bed and saw the small pile of clothes that Nikolas had left there for her.

Slowly she reached out and touched the soft fabrics with the tips of her fingers. She continued to run her fingers over them absentmindedly as she tried to put things together. Was this another game they were playing with her? Did they get men to look like people she trusted and loved to give her a false hope of being saved only to pull her back into the reality of her prison? No, what would be the point of that? She laughed derisively to herself. What was the point of any of this? She closed her eyes and remembered the sound of his voice saying her name, the feel of his arms around her, and the way he had kept her close to him as they had skimmed across cold black water. It was real, she told herself. He came for me.

With a cleansing breath that seemed to pull her a little bit more out of the stupor she'd been in since being whisked away from her prison she stood up from the bed and walked towards the bathroom. She almost closed the door, but an uncontrollable fear that it would lock behind her made her leave it unlatched. As she gazed around the room she felt as if it were the most beautiful bathroom she'd ever seen. Elizabeth reached into the shower and turned the water on. As the water poured out in a steady stream and the room began to fill with steam she stripped out of the clothes she'd been wearing the night she'd left her boys to go to work. It seemed like so long ago.

She left the clothes in a neat pile on the floor as she slowly stepped into the warm cascade of water. She stood with her face looking up to the stream of warm water flowing down onto her and reveled in the warm sensation as rivulets made there way down her body. Elizabeth wasn't sure how long she stood there, just letting the water course over her, washing the dirt and grime away, warming her skin. And she wasn't sure how long she'd been crying until she felt the sob well up inside her chest and suddenly break free. In that moment, when she finally let go and truly believed her ordeal was over, she lost all strength and collapsed to the floor of the shower. She sat on the tiles that had now become warm and she sobbed in both relief and grief as the water continued to fall on her and mingle with her tears.

Jason had knocked softly on the door, but when he didn't get a response he had slowly opened the bedroom door. He glanced around the room and was worried when at first he didn't see her. Then he noticed the bathroom door was slightly ajar and he could hear the shower running. A relieved smile crossed his face when he realized she had moved from the spot he'd left her in and was taking a shower. He was about to leave when he heard her cry out and he instinctively ran toward her, afraid that she had fallen in her weakened state.

When he reached the bathroom door he heard another shattered sob break free from her lips and he realized she wasn't hurt. Not physically anyway. He stood on the other side of the door, unsure if she would want him to see her like this or if she just needed to cry by herself for awhile. With anger in his eyes he swore that this wasn't over. Whoever had done this, whoever had hurt Elizabeth and his family in this way was going to pay, no matter who it was. He stayed until he heard her sobs taper off and the sound of bottles moving against tile and then he left as quietly as he had entered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elizabeth breathed in slowly the soft scent of jasmine and water lily as a small smile played slowly across her lips. She had truly enjoyed the shower and had helped herself to the lotion in the cabinet. She felt refreshed and almost back to normal when she heard a soft knock at the door. "Come in," she said softly.

Jason opened the door and slowly stepped toward her. "How are you?" he asked tentatively.

"Better," she said with a soft chuckle. She was trying desperately to hold back the tears of joy that threatened at the very sight of him. Now that she'd had time to process the fact that she had actually been rescued she had so many questions pounding in her head that she wasn't sure what to ask first. She sat down on the edge of the bed and Jason joined her.

"Nikolas wasn't sure those clothes would fit since Emily's a little taller than you, but they seem to fit well." He wasn't sure how much she was ready to talk about and he didn't want to push her into discussing her ordeal or anything that might send her back into the silent shock she'd been in on the trip back to the island. "He said if you want your clothes washed we can have the housekeeper take care of them for you."

"No," Elizabeth answered quickly. Her eyes were glued to the floor as she said with a quivering voice, "I threw them away." Her tongue slid slowly across her lips as she wet them and then swallowed. She knew what her first question had to be. "How are the boys?" she asked as she finally looked at Jason with worried eyes.

He smiled, "They're okay. They'll be even better when they find out you're alive."

"They don't know?" she asked surprised.

Jason sighed softly and looked at her with concern, "I wasn't positive you were on that ship and I couldn't give them hope and then not come home with you."

Elizabeth was silent for a moment and then she nodded. "That was best. How's Cameron?"

"He's fine," Jason assured her again. "In fact, I just got off the phone with him a while ago. I called him to check in and he and Jake were playing some game called Chutes and Ladders with Laura. According to Lulu they were having a blast."

Elizabeth smiled at the mental image and then persisted, "But what about his injuries? Have his stitches come out yet? How's his leg?"

"Lulu took him to the doctor on Monday and he got the stitches removed. They did an x-ray on his leg and were able to give him a new cast that's below his knee so he can get around a lot better now. He was really happy about being back in his own bed," Jason paused and looked at her. "How did you know about Cameron's injuries?"

Elizabeth's face distorted in pain as she choked out, "It was my fault." She couldn't stop the tears any more than she could stop the words that now came pouring from her. "I tried to escape, but I shouldn't have. I almost made it Jason. I caught them by surprise and I made it up two whole flights of stairs and through the cargo hold before he caught me from behind. But I shouldn't have done it, Jason," she cried out, "I should have waited for you, but I didn't know you were coming. I thought that you believed I was dead. They showed me the funeral on the screen and everyone thought I was dead so I had to try to escape."

She paused as she tried to catch her breath through the sobs that were now racking her body. Jason tried to reach out to her, to pull her close to him, but she pushed his arms away and rose from the bed. Rage and fury now coursed through her veins and she felt like her nerve endings were on fire as she paced angrily across the room. She couldn't let him comfort her. She couldn't let him try to ease the pain because right now she needed it. She needed the pain and the anger because they gave her the fuel she would need to get through the next few days and weeks and months of adjustment and dealing with everything she and her family had been through. Finally she stopped and she looked squarely at the man sitting on the edge of the bed, confused and helpless to give her what she needed in that moment. She saw the pain in his eyes and it helped to calm her, knowing that he too had suffered. They shared a scar now as well as a child.

"They sent me his medical chart," she said in almost a whisper. She saw the surprise and anger register in Jason's eyes. "I got a folder with my meal. It had a copy of Cam's medical chart, pictures of a totaled car, and a note that told me if I tried to escape again they'd send me my son's death certificate."

Jason stood suddenly from the bed and crossed the room to her. He wrapped Elizabeth in his arms and pulled her body close to him as if he could somehow take everything she was feeling away with that simple motion. "I promise you Cameron's okay," he whispered into her hair. "And what happened is not your fault. I'm so proud of you for trying to escape. None of this is your fault, but I promise you that I'm going to find who's responsible and that person is going to pay."

Elizabeth let herself melt in the strength of his embrace for a moment and then she forced herself to pull away. She was trying so hard to be strong, but she wasn't sure who she was trying to be strong for, herself or Jason. "You don't know who did this?" she asked as she quickly wiped away the remnants of tears clinging to her cheeks.

"I have my suspicions," Jason responded, "but my priority was finding you and then finding who was responsible. Spinelli is working on it though and I have no doubt he'll have a name for me soon."

Elizabeth turned back toward him and with a short laugh said, "Jason, where are we?"

He suddenly realized she would have no idea where they were and answered, "We're on Nikolas' island in Greece. You were being held on a ship called The Oceania. Spinelli was able to track it to its home port of Patras, Greece after a trip to Sydney, Australia. We would have tried to get to you when it was in Sydney but by the time we would have flown there the ship would have already left dock so we had to wait for it to make port here in Greece. It actually worked out well because Nikolas was able to use his connections here and the island as a base of operations."

"Jase," she asked quietly with tears once again threatening, "what day is it?"

Jason choked on his words as he answered her. "It's February 22nd in the States, when we get home it'll be the 23rd. You've been gone for six weeks."

"Six weeks," she said with shock. "It felt like so much longer," she breathed out sadly.

Johnny suddenly poked his head in the door and gave Elizabeth one of his most charming smiles. "Elizabeth, you have no idea how good it is to see you up and around."

She returned his smile and said, "Johnny, you have no idea how good it is to be seen up and around."

He laughed and quickly crossing the room wrapped her up in a hug that lifted her off the floor and twirled her around. "Lulu told me I couldn't come home without you," he said jokingly as he set her back down on the floor.

A warm voice from the doorway suddenly joined them. "And Emily just called and said she's going to be waiting for us on the tarmac, so we better get going because I hate to keep my wife waiting."

"Nikolas," Elizabeth smiled as she walked into her brother-in-law's arms for a hug that nearly crushed her. When she was finally released she looked at the three men that stood in the room with her, each of them gazing at her in joy and amazement that what they had believed and hoped for had been true. She stood before them alive and reasonably well even though they each knew that what she had gone through had probably changed her in ways no one could fathom at this moment in time, all of them felt relief in the fact that she was alive.

"Anybody else ready to go home?" she asked with a soft smile and then followed her rescuers toward the waiting jet.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: **These characters belong to ABC and its affiliates. I claim no rights to them; I'm simply borrowing them for a story.

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Elizabeth slept through the seven time zone plane ride and woke up as the wheels came to a stop at the Port Charles private airfield. True to her word Emily was waiting for them with two town cars to transport everyone home. As soon as Elizabeth's feet touched the ground she was engulfed in her best friend's arms. Tears streamed down both their faces as they cried and hugged and laughed with the joy of seeing each other.

"I have missed you so much," Emily cried as she once again pulled Elizabeth close to her.

"I missed you too, Em," she responded.

Emily finally released her friend and tried to pull herself together. "Okay, we'll have plenty of time to talk, but I'm sure right now you just want to see your boys." Elizabeth laughed and nodded her agreement. Emily instantly took charge. "Johnny you go with them so you can pick up Lulu and Laura from the penthouse and Nikolas and I will take the other car home." Taking her husband's hand she walked toward the car and seductively whispered in his ear, "Has anyone ever told you how sexy you look when you rescue presumed dead women?"

Nikolas chuckled in response, "I believe you're the first."

"You ready?" Jason asked as he took Elizabeth's hand in his own and walked toward the car.

"Very," she answered with eagerness.

The predawn grey was just being illuminated by the rising sun when they quietly opened the penthouse door. Lulu had been lying on the couch, but when the door opened she leapt up and put a preemptive finger over her lips to make sure they stayed quiet. A small part of her had held onto doubt of Elizabeth's survival until that moment. With tears streaming down her face she walked to Elizabeth and embracing her she whispered, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you." Pulling back she whispered with the Spencer smile mischievously dancing across her face, "Don't you ever do this again."

Elizabeth smiled through tears of her own and whispered, "I'll try not to, but why are we whispering?"

Lulu pointed to the living room and it was then that they noticed the haphazard tent made of blankets and sheets that were set up next to the pool table that had been returned to its normal place since Cameron could once again negotiate the stairs. "Laura roped the boys into playing Arabian Princess and she and Jake fell asleep in the tent, so we just left them there," Lulu explained in a whisper.

Johnny gave his wife a soft kiss and said, "I'll get her and we can head home." Johnny carefully maneuvered his way into the make-shift tent and gently lifted his little princess off of her pillow bed. Her soft brown eyes fluttered open for a moment and then she murmured, "Daddy", and snuggled against his chest. The movement and sound was slight, but it was enough to wake Jake who was a soft sleeper anyway.

"Uncle Johnny?" he questioned as he rolled over slowly trying to focus. With the sudden realization that if Uncle Johnny was there then Jason was home, he quickly scrambled out from under the tent. While he was still on his hands and knees trying to untangle his feet from the sheet that was wrapped around them he said, "Dad, you're home." Finally accomplishing his mission he rose. "Cam got half his cast off. Just wait until you see the new one," he said excitedly as he started to walk forward and then froze.

He stood bathed in the fresh light of a new day and gazed in amazement at the woman standing next to his father. "Mommy?" he said unbelievingly in a little boy voice.

Suddenly she crossed the room and they were in each other's arms. He clung to her as if he didn't quite believe she was real. Elizabeth held her son to her and wept. She had believed she would never see him again, let alone hold him and now she clung to him for dear life. She breathed in his musky little boy scent and kissed his soft cheeks. She gently wiped the tears from his face and rocked him in her arms as they sat on the floor just holding each other. Neither of them even noticed when Lulu and Johnny quietly left.

Eventually Jake stopped crying, but he wouldn't let go of his mother. "I don't understand," he said. "What happened? Everyone said you were dead. I missed you so much Mom."

"I missed you too baby," she replied.

They heard Jason's voice from where he still stood by the desk. "We'll explain everything Jake, but first I think we should get Cameron."

Elizabeth nodded her agreement and started to rise, but Jake wouldn't let go. "Jake, sweetie," she said softly, "I'm not going to leave you. I'm just going to get Cameron and then I'll be right back."

"Promise?" Jake questioned with fear in his eyes.

"I promise," she said as she placed a tender kiss on his forehead.

Elizabeth stood by Cameron's bed and just looked down at her son. He had his curtains drawn to block out the bright morning sun so she opened them just enough to add a little light to the room. She saw the bulk of what was the cast on his leg and tried to push away the guilt she felt. Very gingerly she sat on the edge of his bed. He moaned softly in his sleep and turned his head toward her.

With tears in her eyes she reached out and gently ran her fingers through his soft curls the way she had when he was a little boy. "You grew your hair out," she said in a whisper. She saw Cameron's eyes slowly open and when he saw her, a sleepy smile spread across his face.

"I miss you Mom, but I'm glad I still get to dream you," he mumbled.

Elizabeth's voice caught with emotion as she said, "I've missed you too Cam, but this isn't a dream," and she gently leaned down and kissed her son's cheek.

Cameron had been having so many dreams with his mother in them that he had assumed he was still dreaming when he saw her sitting next to him. At the touch of her lips on his skin he instantly woke up. He sat up quickly in his bed, his breath coming in short gasps as his eyes took in every inch of the woman sitting beside him. "Is this a joke?" he asked tearfully as his mind tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

"No, honey," Elizabeth assured him, "it's real. I'm really here. I didn't die Cam."

He looked confused and scared and then suddenly he reached for her and whimpered the single word, "Mom." She held him for a long time as they both cried with the joy of being together and the grief of what they'd been through. Jason wasn't able to keep Jake away and soon they were all cuddled up in Cam's bed together. Jason sat at the foot of the bed and reveled in the view he had of Elizabeth flanked on each side by her sons.

It was an unspoken decision that no one would go to school that day. Jake had reasoned that it was Friday anyway and Cameron had already missed so much school one more day wasn't going to hurt. They spent the day together, just the four of them. Elizabeth and Jason told the boys the truth about what had happened; at least as much as they knew, and the three men filled Elizabeth in on the things she had missed, like Cameron's motorcycle.

When Elizabeth expressed her guilt over Cameron's car accident she saw for the first time how much her son had changed in her absence. He was more mature and more accepting, but he was also angrier. He ordered her to never be sorry that she had tried to escape. That what happened was only one person's fault and that was whoever had taken her in the first place and that was the last they would discuss of it. By late afternoon there was a little bit of normalcy finally creeping into their day. Jason had left to pick up some things for dinner and Elizabeth was upstairs with Jake helping him with a science project he didn't really need help with. Cameron was lounging on the couch with his back toward the door and his left leg propped up on a pillow when he heard a knock followed by a familiar playful voice.

"I knew there was nothing wrong with you," Molly said as she entered the room and tossed her bag beside the couch. "How dare you play hooky without me, Spencer!"

"I promise I'll never do it again," he laughed as he repositioned himself and pulled her onto his lap. She leaned in and gave him a soft kiss. Neither of them heard the soft footsteps that suddenly stopped on the stairway. "You better not," she said with a fake pout, "because I missed you today."

"So you had to come all the way over here to get your daily fix, huh?" he teased.

"Yeah," she played along, "I'm thinking of starting a support group. What do you think of the Cameron Spencer Girlfriend Support Hotline?"

"I think there wouldn't be much support with just the one member," he said as he gently brushed her hair back away from her face.

"So tell me Mr. Mysterious," she said seriously, "What kept you out of school today?"

"My Mom's alive," he said with a smile.

"What?!" Molly exclaimed as she leaped off his lap and stood in front of him. "Talk about burying the lead. How did this happen?" she asked rapidly as she sat across from him.

He lowered his legs to the floor and turned to face her. "It's a long story, but basically someone kidnapped her and faked her death. When Jason figured it out he, Johnny, and Nikolas rescued her."

"So now your mom's home and she's alive. Wow, Cam how do you feel?" Molly asked with tears pooling in her eyes at how wonderful it all was.

Cameron smiled at her. "Pretty great. I mean, it's a miracle," he replied. "I have to admit it's pretty hard to wrap my mind around, but right now I'm just happy to have my mom back."

"I'm so happy for you Cam," she said. Glancing down at his cast she looked back up at him with a mischievous smile. "You know what I've been thinking about?" she asked as she slowly rose from her seat and climbed onto the couch so that she was now straddling Cameron's legs.

"What?" he asked as his breath started coming more quickly at her proximity.

"I've been thinking about that bike ride we took up to Vista Pointe," she said as she slowly placed small kisses up his neck, working her way to his mouth, "and how I can't wait for that cast to come off so we can go again."

"Well now I know the first thing I'm doing when this thing comes off," he said breathlessly as he pulled her close to him. They were just beginning to lose themselves in the kiss when they heard a cough come from the direction of the stairs.

Molly jumped off of Cameron like he was electric. "Mrs. Spencer," she said breathlessly, "I'm so glad you're alive. Cam told me the wonderful news. I mean that's amazing. I bet it's hard to come back to life. I mean legally and everything, because of course, you know," Molly finally just closed her mouth to try to stop her nervous rambling.

Elizabeth smiled at the young girl and then glanced at her son. The smile on his face and the way he looked at Molly reminded her of Lucky and the way he had looked at her when they were sixteen. She felt a sudden pang of realization that her little boy was growing up. Realizing the young woman was still standing there feeling uncomfortable from being caught making out with her son she tried to put her at ease. "Yes, legally it is difficult," Elizabeth replied with a smile. "Thankfully Jason has a good lawyer."

"Oh, speaking of lawyers my dad will be so happy to hear that you're alive. He didn't want me and Cam to date because of Jason and all, but I bet he'll be much easier to deal with now," Molly said excitedly. Then seeming to think of something she asked, "You don't mind do you?"

Elizabeth looked surprised and then laughing she gave the nervous girl a hug and looked down at her smiling son. "I'm fine with it as long as Cameron's happy, however there will be some rules we'll need to discuss."

Just then Jason came through the door followed by Milo. Both of them had their hands full with bags of take-out. "Hi Molly," Jason said with a smile.

"Hi, Mr.," she stopped herself and said, "Jason."

"Are you staying for dinner?" he asked.

"No, my dad's expecting me, but thank you for the invitation. Cam, I'll see you later," she said as she reached down to pick up her bag. Cameron grabbed her hand and squeezed, letting her know that if adults weren't in the room he would kiss her. She smiled, said goodbye to everyone and quickly left the penthouse with Milo just behind her.

Jason looked quizzically at the door and then at Cameron. The young man laughed as he rose onto his crutches. "Mom scared her because she caught us making out."

"I didn't even say anything," Elizabeth said defensively. "In fact, I think I handled it all pretty well."

Cameron leaned in and gave his mom a peck on the cheek and then with a sparkle in his eyes he said, "Yeah, Mom. You're pretty cool."

The sound of running feet was suddenly heard coming down the stairs as Jake burst forth yelling, "I smell barbecue!" Everyone laughed as they gathered around the table for dinner.

It felt almost surreal for Elizabeth as she ate with her boys that night. She reveled in the new relationships she saw they had begun to forge with Jason. That night she insisted on tucking Jake into bed even through he half-heartedly protested, stating that he was too old. After being certain that her youngest son was safely drifting towards sleep she wandered into her eldest's room.

He was lying in bed reading a photography magazine and when she entered he set it down and smiled at her. "Mom is it weird for you?" he asked quietly.

Sitting down on his desk chair she asked, "Is what weird?"

"You know," he said nervously, "coming back and finding out things have changed."

She smiled and paused before she spoke, trying to form the correct words. "I guess it's a little strange. I think part of it is because I had convinced myself that I would never see the people I love and so now being with all of you feels strange in my mind, but good in my heart."

"It's probably how Dad felt when Helena finally let him go. I guess we should be thankful whoever took you didn't brainwash you."

Elizabeth looked at him with surprise. "I didn't realize Lucky had ever told you about that time of his life."

Cameron's brown eyes looked guiltily downward, unable to make eye contact with his mother. He wasn't sure if letting her believe that he had learned about that time of his parent's lives from his dad would constitute a lie, but he didn't know how to tell her the truth yet. "It's just I guess I understand where your head must be at. You make your mind believe what you need it to in order to survive, but at the same time the heart wants what it wants."

Elizabeth chuckled softly and leaned forward from the chair to softly caress his cheek. "My sweet boy, you're becoming such a wonderful man."

Cameron couldn't help the blush of embarrassment that colored his cheeks. "Mom," he said nervously, "I have to tell you something."

"I know," Elizabeth interrupted.

Cameron shot her a fearful look and then she continued. "The people that had me showed me a video of the funeral. I heard what you said Cam and you have nothing to regret. I'm just so happy that you finally gave Jason a chance."

Cameron lost the courage he'd been trying to build up to tell her the truth about the source of his new found knowledge. "So am I. He's a good guy." He couldn't hide the yawn that followed his sentence.

"It's been a big day," Elizabeth said as she rose from her seat and gave Cameron a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight Cameron."

"Goodnight Mom," he whispered back.

She closed Cameron's door and was about to head downstairs when she heard noise coming from down the hallway. When she entered the bedroom she saw Jason struggling to get the sheets on the bed. She laughed as she joined him and together they made the bed in just a few minutes.

Jason looked at her awkwardly and finally said, "I wanted you to have fresh sheets your first night home." Elizabeth simply smiled at him. He looked nervously around the room and then said, "Well, I guess, um, goodnight." As he started to walk toward the door Elizabeth's hand reached out and grasped hold of his, making him stop short.

"Jason," she began with unshed tears glistening in her eyes, "when I was in that room all those weeks do you know what kept me sane?"

"What?" he breathed in a hoarse whisper.

"I knew that you were taking care of my sons and I felt safe with that. And I came back to find that you did more than just care for their needs and keep them safe. You gave them a family. You gave them love." She crossed the short distance between them slowly, almost imperceptibly as she continued to speak.

"Jason, I've always known what a caring, loyal, and loving man you are. For a long time I let fear control me. Fear for my boys, for myself, and fear for you has kept me from admitting what's in my heart." She stopped now, just inches from him. She could feel the heat emanating from his body, see the muscles in his arms and neck constrict as he tried to control himself and she felt a rush of excitement at the effect she knew she was having on him.

"If there's one thing I've learned from this entire experience, it's that you can't control what other people do; only what you do. I'm not afraid anymore. All I want is to be with you. To enjoy every moment I have with you, even if it's just tonight. Jason, I love you," she said with trembling lips that were immediately melded with his in a kiss that took her breath away and made her knees shake.

It had taken all his will power to let her finish what she needed to say and now he would show her how much he agreed. His hands found the hem of her shirt and he slowly inched it up as he continued to explore her mouth. They both tried to catch their breath as he removed the offending garment. As it made its way to the floor his hands glided through her hair and pulled her closer to him as he walked her backwards toward the bed. His lips moved down her neck and sucked softly on her collar bone as they inched their way across the bed. She whimpered her displeasure when he removed his lips from her. With his arms flexed on either side of her, his body hovering over her in anticipation he waited for her to look at him. As he looked into her blue eyes made dark with love and desire he finally whispered the words he'd wanted to say for so long. "I love you, Elizabeth." To him the blissful smile she gave him in response to his declaration created as wonderful a sensation as when her delicate hands reached up and pulled him down to her.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: **I don't own them. Just borrowing them for a little story.

**A/N: **I apologize profusely for the amount of time it took to update this story. I've been crazy busy with my new job and then I got a horrendous case of writer's block. Since this story is winding down to its final chapters I wanted to give my best. I'm still not completely satisfied with this chapter, but it was the best I could do at the time and I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you so much all of you who are reviewing, I appreciate your comments. And also thank you to all who are simply reading, I appreciate you as well!

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

_It was dark. Elizabeth felt herself spinning around trying to find some source of light but there was none. She felt panic rise up in her chest as she heard the familiar click of a door being unlocked. It echoed all around her and she felt paralyzed with fear. A shaft of light split the room and she saw a dark figure standing in an illuminated doorway. She ran towards the light and somehow slipped by him. She found herself in a long dimly lit hallway. Her feet felt sluggish as she ran but she could hear the man running after her. Suddenly the hallway opened up and she realized she was at General Hospital. She could see Jason standing at the main desk and she tried to scream, but for some reason her voice wouldn't carry across the room._

_She tripped on something and felt herself fall to the ground. In a blind panic she tried to crawl toward Jason but there was something in the way. She felt cloth in her hands and realized she'd tripped on someone lying on the floor. It was one of the masked men and she had a sick feeling in her stomach as she reached up and removed his mask. Dark brown curls framed his face and blood trickled from his mouth as his dead brown eyes looked blankly at her. Pain and terror gripped her body as she screamed, "Cameron no!"_

She felt strong arms holding her close and heard Jason's soothing voice telling her everything was okay. As she slowly began to recognize her surroundings her heart began to slow back to its regular rhythm and she was able to fight back the uncontrollable sobbing that had racked her body. She felt Jason's lips softly brush against her temple as she breathed against his neck.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" he whispered against her ear. She shook her head no as she curled her body into him, trying to find strength and comfort in him. They laid there holding each other for a long time each of them knowing that sleep was out of the question. Finally she spoke.

Her voice was barely above a whisper as she said, "I dreamt that Cameron died." He remained silent but his arms tightened around her protectively as if he wanted to save her even from her nightmares. "I was running and I called for you but you couldn't hear me and then I tripped on a body and when I took off his mask it was Cameron."

"I'm sorry that you dreamt that Elizabeth," he whispered into her hair. "You know I'll do everything within my power to keep you and your sons safe." She pulled her head away from the warmth of his chest to look into his kind blue eyes.

"I know you will." Looking into his loving eyes and feeling the strength of his arms around her made the fear and panic of her nightmare wash away. She gave him a brilliant smile and hungrily kissed his lips. Without warning she rolled away from him and slipped out of the bed. With admiration and desire in his eyes Jason watched her cross the room.

"Where are you going?" he asked with a wondering smile. After a moment rifling through his dresser she walked back toward the bed and tossed a t-shirt and a pair of jeans at him.

With a mischievous smile dancing across her face she answered, "Nowhere. Do you want to come along?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was still a week left in February and the wind was cold as it whipped around Elizabeth, but she didn't care. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so free. She laughed out loud as she realized it was probably the last time she had been in the same position she was in now. Her arms were wrapped around Jason's muscular form as he skillfully maneuvered the bike at high speeds through twisting roads in the dark. She wasn't sure how long they'd been riding when she felt the motorcycle begin to slow and they angled off the road and into a familiar clearing.

She jumped off the bike with an energy she hadn't felt in years as excitement and adrenaline coursed through her veins. Jason watched her with enjoyment as she removed her helmet and her long brown hair cascaded over her shoulders. The grey light of dawn made it possible for him to take joy in the bright pink that flushed Elizabeth's cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes.

"That was amazing," she said breathlessly. "It was exactly what I needed."

Jason stood and walked toward her. As he wrapped her up in his arms and pulled her close to him he said, "I want to give you everything Elizabeth."

"You already have," she responded as she gently ran her hand across his cheek. Slowly stepping away from him she walked a few feet away and stood looking out at the ever lightening horizon. She felt Jason walk up behind her and soon her body was cradled against his as his arms snaked around her waist and their hands intertwined. His nose was cold against her ear as he leaned down and softly nuzzled her neck with his soft lips.

"Did you know Cameron brought Molly out here?" she asked quietly. "I heard them talking about it."

"I'm not surprised. It's secluded and has a great view," he responded huskily.

"Jason," she suddenly said with awe. "Look."

He raised his eyes in the direction she was looking. He'd seen countless sunrises but for some reason this one felt different. Maybe it was because he could sense that it was special to Elizabeth and that made it special to him. They stood in silence as the sky turned slowly from deep purple to a pale pink and surroundings that had been masked in shadow began to take shape as trees and brush and rocks. Elizabeth squeezed his hands as a sliver of bright orange suddenly split the sky and the sun made its appearance. Jason was pulled out of the moment by a wet drop hitting his hand. Turning Elizabeth around he saw that tears were streaming down her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern. She tried to wipe away the tears but they were just replaced with more.

"How many sunrises have we wasted Jason?" she cried. "For six weeks I was trapped in a room. I had no idea what time it was or what day it was. I promised myself that I'd never take anything for granted again, not even the rising or setting of the sun."

"I'm sorry," Jason interrupted.

Turning around in his arms she said angrily, "Don't apologize. That's not what I'm saying." She stopped herself at the hurt she saw flash in his eyes at her tone of voice. "Jason," she said more calmly, "I had a lot of time to think while this Nemesis person had me. I thought about milestones in the boys lives. Like when Cameron lost his first tooth or when Jake took his first steps. And I thought about all our little outings to the park and school projects I helped them with. And then I thought about how much we all missed out on because of me. Because of my fear of your lifestyle. Don't try to object," she said when she saw he was about to protest. "We both know that all it would have taken is one word from me and you would have claimed Jake in an instant."

They were both silent as they stood in the cold early morning sun. "It's just that I realized something Jason," she whispered earnestly. "I realized that life isn't the only precious thing we can lose. Time can be just as precious and I don't want to lose anymore of it."

"We don't have to," Jason reassured her.

"You said earlier that you wanted to give me everything," she said quietly as she gazed up at his strong face. The sun filtering through the ends of his hair made it appear as if he was glowing. It glanced across his strong chiseled features, creating lines of light and shadow that she found beautiful and mentally she memorized how he looked in that moment for a future painting, even as she knew she would never be able to duplicate the effect he had on her.

Jason reached up and gently ran his fingers into her hair, pulling it back from her face as he said softly, "I do want to give you everything. Everything you can possibly imagine."

With tears in her eyes she said, "All I want is to spend every single sunrise and sunset with you for the rest of my life."

Jason looked deeply into her eyes and being the man of very few spoken words that he was he simply said, "Done," before he leaned down and kissed her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as they walked through the penthouse door Jake slammed his body into Elizabeth and clung to her in a desperate hug. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked in surprise.

"I woke up and you weren't here," Jake said with tears in his eyes. "Cam said you and Dad probably just went somewhere together, but I thought maybe someone had kidnapped you again and Dad was out looking for you."

"Oh sweetie," Elizabeth said sadly as she kissed the top of his forehead.

"Come here son," Jason said as he took Jake's hand and gently led him to the couch. Elizabeth followed them and sat down on the other side of their son. "Your mom and I were just out for a ride," Jason started.

"I told you so," came Cameron's voice as he walked in from the kitchen carrying a glass of orange juice and a steaming cup of coffee. He gave the juice to his brother and then nodded toward his coffee and asked, "You want a cup?"

"Please," Elizabeth said with a smile as Jason said, "Sure." As the four of them sat sipping their drink of choice Jason again began to speak.

"I understand how you feel Jake. It was agonizing when your mom was gone, not only for us but for her too. And now to have her back is like a miracle and you don't want to let her go because you're afraid to feel the pain of losing her again." Jason paused as his young son's blonde head nodded slowly in agreement.

Elizabeth wrapped an arm around Jake's should and said, "Honey, I promise you I'm not going anywhere."

"You can't make that kind of promise," Cameron suddenly spoke up. Jason looked at him with sad eyes.

"You're right," he agreed, "we can't promise that nothing bad will ever happen to one of us. But I can promise that I will do everything in my power to keep our family safe." Elizabeth had expected some sort of protest from Cameron about Jason not being a part of their family. Instead she was wonderfully surprised when Cameron smiled and said, "I know you will."

"In the meantime," Jason continued, "we're not going to be made prisoners of fear. We're going to live as normal a life as possible. As a first step toward that I was thinking that we need a house. This penthouse is just too small for all of us. What do you guys think?"

Elizabeth was caught off guard by the sudden proposal. She felt Jason's hand wrap around her own hand that was encircling Jake. Looking into his eyes she saw they were filled with hope and love, not just for her, but for the family they were making. With emotion choking her voice she said, "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea."

"Can we get one with a big yard so I can play catch and a special dark room for Cam to do his photography?" Jake asked, suddenly excited at the idea of a house for all of them.

"Definitely," Jason laughed. "And a studio for your mom to paint," he added as he gazed lovingly at the woman that was now grinning happily at him.

Cameron laughed, "Good luck finding a house with a large yard, a shop for the cars and motorcycles, a studio for painting, a dark room, plus all the other necessities a home must have and included in all that one that can be easily secured."

"If we can't find one then we'll build one," Jason said with determination.

"Yeah," Jake shouted as he got more and more excited at the prospect of designing his own house. "We're gonna build a dream house!"

"Hey," Cameron interjected, "before you put us to work on this fairy tale house you've cooked up, could we eat? Cause I'm starving."

"Oh," Elizabeth cried out, "I was thinking we could go to Kelly's for breakfast and then maybe spend some time in the park."

"I think that's a great idea," Jason agreed. Slapping Jake playfully on the leg he said, "Let's get ready and go before your brother wastes away from starvation."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You know you didn't have to stay with me, Mom. You could have gone with Jake and Jason." It was turning out to be a beautiful day. The sun was shining and birds were making a commotion getting ready for spring. It wasn't yet March but it seemed someone forgot to tell Mother Nature because it felt like spring already.

They sat together on a park bench with Cameron's crutches leaning against the side. Jason had noticed him having trouble keeping up on their walk and every time they had stopped he would balance on his one good leg in an effort to rest his arms. He had suggested that Cam rest while he and Jake went in search of some hot chocolate. Elizabeth had chosen to stay with Cameron.

She smiled at her son. He was growing into such a good man. She hoped she held some responsibility for that but she knew Lucky was a big part of it also. She knew she would always love him for what he had given her children.

"I wanted to stay," she said softly as she thought of the man whose life had been intertwined with hers for so many years. Reaching up she gently pretended to fix a bit of his hair even though it didn't need it. It was a physical memory of the little boy he used to be. She asked with a smile as she came back to the present, "So, you and Molly, huh?"

Cameron gave her an embarrassed smile and just nodded his head.

"Well, I never imagined you two hanging out as kids would lead to this, but I'm happy for you Cam." They were silent for a moment and then Elizabeth spoke again. "Did I ever tell you that Ric and I used to be married?"

Cameron smiled, "No, but I found out. Molly and I were a little weirded out by that." He chuckled softly and then became serious. "He seems like such a hypocrite to me. He hates Jason so much but he's done horrible things too and if Sonny had accepted him he'd have no problem living the life Jason does."

Elizabeth looked in shock at her son. "Where are you getting your information?" she asked incredulously.

Cameron realized too late that he'd said too much. He looked at his mother and then down at his hands as he said softly, "Mom, I have to tell you something." She instantly felt the creep of worry at the sudden serious tone her son had taken.

"You know you can tell me anything Cameron," she said.

The young man swallowed hard as he tried to think of the best way to tell his mother that he'd unintentionally invaded her privacy. "Well, the thing is," he started slowly, "I thought you were dead. It was absolutely horrible Mom." Tears glistened in his eyes as he relived the pain he'd felt just recently. "I thought I'd lost you forever and it just felt like there was this emptiness inside. I didn't know how to fill it or make it stop hurting so much. I went back to the house thinking it would make me feel better, maybe closer to you, but it didn't work. And then I found something that did help. It made me feel like I was close to you again, like you were still here telling me things, teaching me how to be a better person."

Cameron paused in his relating of the events of how he procured the journals and looked in his mother's worried eyes. He needed to just say it. "I found your journals Mom. I read them." He watched as relief and surprise washed over her face. "I know it's a terrible breach of privacy," he continued quickly, "but I honestly thought that you were dead and that what you wrote in those journals was the only connection I had left with you."

"Cameron," Elizabeth interrupted, "it's okay. You had me worried there for a minute. I didn't know what you were going to tell me. I understand why you read them. I wish that you hadn't simply because there were things about my life that I never wanted you to know about, but I'm not mad at you for reading them. Although I would like them back," she added with a smile. "I can't remember everything I wrote in them, especially the older ones, but I imagine there were some things in them that left you with some questions."

"Yeah," he said with a smile. "There was some stuff I skipped. I actually talked to Aunt Emily about Zander. I was afraid for a little while that he was the one that had hurt you, but she assured me he wasn't and then I read where you talked about facing the photographer in jail. I would like to talk to you about my Dad sometime though, if that's alright."

"Of course it's alright. Cameron I'm willing to tell you anything you want to know about either one of your father's," Elizabeth said as she wrapped an arm around her grown son and slid closer to him on the bench. "Did reading those journals have anything to do with your turn around about Jason?"

Cameron smiled. "To a certain degree," he admitted. "But a lot of it was just being around him more and actually giving him a chance. He's a really good guy Mom." Cameron paused and then added quietly, "I won't have any problems with it if you wanted to marry him or something."

Elizabeth smiled and squeezed him in a one-sided hug. Suddenly Jake and Milo came up from the side, each of them carrying two cups of steaming hot chocolate. "Where's Jason?" Elizabeth asked.

"He got a call and had to leave," Jake answered as he handed Cameron one of the cups. "He said Milo should take us home and he'd be there soon."

Elizabeth took the cup Milo offered her and made eye contact with the experienced guard. The fact that Jason had left without coming back to say goodbye told her the call was important, but the look in Milo's eyes told her she shouldn't ask questions. "Milo," she asked, "would you mind having them bring the car around to the east entrance so Cameron doesn't have to walk so far."

"Of course," he said as he whipped out his cell phone and made the call.

Elizabeth looked at her two sons who were now alternately blowing and sipping their hot chocolate and asked cheerfully, "Are you two ready to head home?" Jake was too busy telling them about the plans Jason had talked about with him for the summer to notice the worry in his mother's eyes, but Cameron wasn't and he wondered what could have been so important to pull Jason away from the day they'd been enjoying so soon after Elizabeth had come home.


	18. Chapter 18

Moonlight cast a pale shadow across the large bed as Elizabeth lay quietly trying to fall asleep without success

**Disclaimer:** The usual stuff. They're not mine, just borrowing them. They belong to ABC and GH.

**A/N:** I know it's been a long time between updates. I'm sorry about that, but I do want to let you all know that I've truly appreciated everyone's interest in this story. It's been very encouraging, especially for my first attempt at fan fiction. Just so you all know this is the final chapter, but I will be wrapping things up with an epilogue, so there's technically one more update to come. Also, just a word of caution, this chapter is rated M just to be on the safe side because there is some violence and a cuss word.

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Moonlight cast a pale shadow across the large bed as Elizabeth lay quietly trying to fall asleep without success. It was amazing to her how much her life had changed even in just the last few days. She slowly stretched her hand out and trailed her fingers across the empty space Jason's body should have occupied. They'd only been together a few days and already her heart was tied up with his in a way that made her wonder how she could have borne the pain of being separated from him for all these years. With a soft sigh she turned in the bed and her eyes fell upon the open door leading into the hallway. She'd been unable to close it that night as she'd gone to bed and she wondered if there would ever be a time when she'd be able to be in a closed room alone again.

She closed her eyes as she remembered the determination in Jason's eyes when he had come home that afternoon and announced that he had to leave town on business. She had watched him as he filled a small duffel bag with a change of clothes and a case that she knew held a gun and replacement clips. As she drifted into a troubled sleep she prayed that where ever Jason was he was okay.

--

Jason crouched silently in the bushes that surrounded the estate. Spinelli had done a good job finding blueprints of the entire layout and satellite footage of the grounds. He knew exactly where he was and where he needed to go. This had proven extremely helpful in avoiding the guards that had been patrolling the area. For the third time he checked his watch. Just five minutes until the 6 a.m. guard change. It was his best chance to gain entrance to the house without being noticed and he'd been patiently making his way closer all night long in anticipation of this moment.

As he waited for the time to pass his mind drifted toward the reason he was currently hidden behind bushes on a private estate in southern Greece. Elizabeth, Cameron, and Jake had become his entire reason for existing. The fact that someone had made them all suffer so much pain was maddening, but the idea that this same person would be free to try again was unacceptable. He hadn't lied when he told them he had to leave on business. He just hadn't told them that it was personal business and had nothing to do with the Corinthos Organization. If Elizabeth had asked, he would have told her. He felt she had a right to know who had taken her from her family and tortured her for nearly two months. But she hadn't asked and he didn't want to volunteer the information.

A quick glance at his watch told him it was time to move and with silent, graceful strength he moved from his hiding place and crossed into the shadow created by the large house. It was a beautiful white home done in the normal Grecian style. There was a large open veranda paved with red brick, large windows that looked out toward the sea, and a red tile roof that pulled everything together. If he hadn't known what the house held within its walls he would have admired the beauty of the architecture and design.

With every corner of the house memorized on the long plane ride he was able to move quickly and silently through the halls. He wasn't sure where in the house his target currently was so he checked each room as if they were occupying it. At six o'clock in the morning he wasn't expecting anyone to be awake, so when he saw a light glowing from underneath a door he paused. In his mind he searched the blueprints Spinelli had provided and knew that this room had been built as a large study. The only route of entrance was through the door he stood in front of, but there was a balcony that was only ten feet above the pool.

His mind made up he quietly opened the door and stepped into the room. It was surprisingly a light colored room. The furniture was all in light woods and white with pale blue accents. There were darker blues mixed in through the use of pillows and lamps. His attention was instantly drawn to the east end of the room where a large desk was position in front of the balcony. The French doors were open, letting a soft breeze play with the sky blue silk curtains. Dark brown eyes gazed at him from the balcony as the person he'd been searching for turned from the open doorway and faced him.

"Spinelli's gotten better with age. I thought I had at least another day before you found me."

In any other situation Jason would have drawn his gun at this moment. The target was right in front of him, all he had to do was take the shot. But for some reason he couldn't do it. Not without answers to his questions. Not without knowing why. "If you knew I was coming why are you still here?" he asked, never taking his eyes from the person standing just fifteen feet away.

A shrug of the shoulders was the response he received as resignation filled the brown eyes. "When Jason Morgan's after you there's no point in running, is there? I'm surprised I'm not dead already. I guess our history does count for something."

"Not enough," he responded quietly. "Why did you do it Sam?" he asked, unable to hide the anger in his voice.

She laughed derisively at him, anger flashing in her dark eyes. "That's why I'm alive right now! You need answers. I'll make a deal with you Jason. You answer my questions and I'll answer yours. You already asked why I was still here, so it's my turn." Sam closed her eyes as if she were mulling over what her first question would be, then with a pleased smile she opened them and purred, "How did you figure out she was alive?"

Cruel pleasure filled her eyes as she saw his jaw muscles clench. She reveled in the knowledge that with one genius move she had tortured both of them. "You missed a camera," he answered through clenched teeth, rage dripping with every word.

The smile that crossed her face confused him. She seemed pleased with herself, but at the same time her eyes held a hint of disappointment. What worried him the most was that he saw absolutely no fear. She laughed aloud, a short staccato sound that shattered the stillness around them like breaking glass and then was suddenly silent again. "I guess I should be glad it wasn't the connection you two have," she said with undisguised derision. "I think I would have actually thrown up if you had said you just knew within yourself that she wasn't dead."

"You tortured her," Jason said angrily, his control slowly slipping from his grasp. "You put her children through the worst kind of hell and you taunted her with pictures. You tried to kill Cameron, an innocent kid," he yelled, "and could have killed your own sister in the process!"

"That shouldn't have happened," Sam said quickly, a small ounce of regret registering in her eyes, she continued. "Molly wasn't supposed to be in that car. George should have waited for a better opportunity. He paid for his mistake."

"I'm curious," she said coyly, "when did you know it was me?"

"Nemesis," Jason answered simply.

She laughed again, but in an almost self-congratulatory way. "That was brilliant wasn't it? I thought it was only appropriate since I knew if you ever found me it would be with Spinelli's help. After all, I was "The Goddess.""

Sam slowly crossed the distance to the desk and gently ran her fingers across the top as a satisfied smile once again spread across her face. "You should have seen her Jason. She was a pathetic mess, crumpled on the ground, crying for her son, for her life, for you." Sam looked him in the eyes without remorse and said, "That's the woman you ruined our life for. She has no backbone Jason, no strength. She falls apart and waits for someone to come rescue her. You're both weak," she said with disgust, "and you deserve each other."

"I'm sorry that I hurt you Sam," Jason said quietly. "I tried to love you, I just couldn't anymore. It's been twelve years. Why now? I've moved on, why didn't you? You could have had a wonderful life. You've obviously done well for yourself. Why couldn't you just let it go?"

"Let it go!?" Sam cried out loudly, the outrage she felt at his words obvious in her voice. "You didn't move on Jason, you hid. You hid in your work, just biding your time until you could get another chance at Elizabeth. And she hid inside her perfect little bubble, waiting for the chance to be with you. So I hid," she spat at him venomously, "I hid and I waited for my chance to get back at both of you."

"I gave up everything for you, Jason. I gave up my life, my family, everything I had in the world to be with you. I gave up my chance of ever having children because I chose to be with you and then you just toss me out like yesterdays garbage. You think I should have moved on! Moved on to what, Jason? You took everything from me that I ever cared about. I wasn't about to let you and that little bitch have everything that you'd taken from me. So, yeah," continued in her tirade but seemed to gain back some control as she placed her hands firmly on the desk and glared at the man she used to love and had come to hate with every fiber of her being, "I waited for the perfect moment. I watched you while I built up my own little shipping empire. I waited while you went on about your business taking orders from Sonny and trying to avoid Elizabeth. I waited while she played housewife and secretly lusted after you. And when Lucky died, I waited while you two danced around each other and at the perfect moment I made my move." She gave a soft chuckle and shook her head softly. "What they say about revenge is true, Jason. It's definitely a dish that's best served cold."

Jason stared at her in amazement as he listened to her ranting and he suddenly realized he felt nothing for her anymore. He had expected to feel guilt, pity, something, anything really, but he felt nothing for her. "I won't take the blame for your choices Sam," he spoke quietly, but firmly. "You say I took everything from you, but that's not true. You had nothing when you came to Port Charles, but you were definitely after something and you thought Sonny could give you whatever that was. You knew who he was, but you didn't care. You knew what we did, but you didn't care. You liked the power and the danger. You liked living on the edge with one adventure after another. Whatever you think you lost was of your own making. It's the choices you made that have left you alone and angry and you have no one to blame but yourself. You could have made yourself a wonderful life. You could have met someone else, fallen in love, and adopted a baby. But you did none of these things. You just let your heart become black with hatred and jealousy. You wallowed in your own misery and instead of just keeping it to yourself you spread it to the people I love. You know better than anyone how I handle those that threaten the people I love," he finished quietly as he finally removed the 9mm Glock from behind his back.

"You'll never be happy with her," Sam said with conviction. "You know that Jason. You know she can't handle your lifestyle. And you'll never be able to be completely happy with her. When you look at her you'll see me. If you kill me you'll never be free Jason. You know we loved each other once and if you kill me that memory will haunt you forever." She spoke with such force that tears actually sprung to her eyes, but Jason knew they weren't tears of remorse or even fear of her own death. They were tears of regret because even as she spoke the words she knew that it was a lie.

"I don't think I ever really knew you Sam," he said with a deep sadness. "I loved the person you let me see, but that wasn't really you. The truth is, if you're alive I'll never be free because my family won't be safe. You've sunk so deep into this deluded quest for revenge over something that wasn't even done to you that there's no saving you Sam."

"You think you never knew me?" Sam sneered at him. "Here's a truth you really should have remembered. I never go down without a fight," she said as she suddenly pulled her hand up from under the lip of the desk. In an instant Jason saw the flash of metal, but years of experience and muscle memory instantly took over. With a speed and fluid motion that seemed impossible for anyone to possess he crouched and rolled to his right as wood splintered behind him and to his left. He rose in the next moment his gun already trained on his target and with one shot it was over.

He walked slowly over to the still form that lay on the white marble floor. Her dark brown hair billowed out beneath her and blended with the dark red pool slowly forming under her back. Early morning rays of sun suddenly burst through the open doors, making the scene before him decidedly sad. He leaned down and gently closed the now vacant brown eyes. "I'm sorry you let revenge destroy you Sam," he whispered as he finally rose and strode quickly from the quiet room.

--

Seven hours later Jason stood quietly in another room watching the sun rise and cast its glow over a new horizon. He looked down at the soft brown hair that covered the pillow and framed Elizabeth's sleeping face. He couldn't help but think of the woman he'd left in a similar position just hours ago and he hoped that she hadn't been right. He hoped that he'd be able to deal with what he'd been forced to do. He reached out his hand and gently brushed a stray lock of hair with his fingertips. The movement caused her to stir and her eyes slowly fluttered open. At the sight of her dark blue eyes gazing at him and the wondrous smile that spread across her face he realized that everything would be alright. Sam would not haunt him; she had no hold over them anymore.

"You're home," Elizabeth whispered, her voice husky from sleep.

"I'm home," Jason reassured her as he knelt beside the bed and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I was thinking we should get started on building our dream house right away," he said softly as he entwined his fingers with hers.

"Really?" she asked with a soft chuckle. "Why the rush?"

"I want to be able to move into it when we get back from our honeymoon," he said matter-of-factly.

Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat and tears instantly sprung to her eyes. "Honeymoon?" she whispered.

"I don't want to waste one more minute, Elizabeth," Jason said with love in his voice and tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "I love you with all my heart and I love our sons. I want us to be a family and I know we're that right now, but more than anything, I want you to be my wife and I want to be your husband." He was quiet for a moment as he stared in her eyes and then with sudden doubt creeping into his heart he asked, "Of course, I don't want to force you into something you're not ready for."

"Jason," Elizabeth silenced him quickly, "I love you too and yes I will marry you." With a suddenness that made her give a startled squeal he was in the bed with her. Hours later as she lay in Jason's arms and heard the first stirrings of their children waking up she was filled with a joy that made her heart feel as if it would burst. She was happier than she'd ever thought possible and for the first time in twelve years she didn't have to wonder what it would be like to be loved by Jason, to have a family with him, because now she knew and the bliss she felt was beyond description.


	19. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **The usual. I don't own them. Just borrowing them.

**A/N:** Okay, this is the final chapter of this story. It is now complete. I want to thank everyone for their reviews and their interest in the story. It's been really fun writing it and I've discovered, really good for me. So thank you to all of you. I hope you enjoy this last little bit.

**EPILOGUE**

It was a beautiful warm spring day. A few cottony clouds traveled high in the blue sky. It was not yet noon but the sun still warmed his back and he knew that it would be an even warmer afternoon. He walked slowly across the well-manicured grass, picking his way through the stones that rose up periodically until he reached his destination.

He wore a white dress shirt un-tucked over dark blue jeans. The young man stood at 6 foot 2 inches, his muscled body deceptively lean. He stared at the grey stone in front of him with sad brown eyes. When a sudden breeze caused his hair to fall into his eyes he brushed back the dark brown curly locks and gently smiled.

"I miss you Dad," Cameron said quietly to the silent gravestone that announced itself as the resting place of Lucas "Lucky" Lorenzo Spencer, Jr. "I know I haven't been to visit you in a while, but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about you." Cameron slowly lowered himself in front of the dark marble stone until he crouched at eye level with the object. "I have to admit it was hard at first. I think I felt like I had to hate Jason because I knew you did. I hope you know that I love you and that will never change, no matter what."

He looked thoughtful as he continued quietly speaking his thoughts into the warm June air. "Sometimes I think maybe you hated him because deep down you knew the truth. You knew that Jake was really his son and that Mom loved him. You were a good man, Dad and a great father. I'll never forget that."

His legs ached from crouching so he slowly lowered himself into the soft green grass and sat cross-legged now as he began a one-sided conversation with the man he would always view as his father. "So a lot has happened in our lives. Mom and Jason got married. It was great, really small, just family and close friends. She looked beautiful, of course," he said with a soft smile, "she always does. Jake's doing really well. He loves the new house."

"Oh, yeah," he said as if just remembering the fact, "I forgot to mention that. Jason built Mom a house. Don't worry, we still have Grandma Laura's house too and we love that house, but Mom thought it would be better if she and Jason didn't start their new life together in the house she shared with you and I agreed. That's reserved for our family and now we just have a different shape to it. She needed it, though Dad. After the kidnapping she had a really hard time. She tried to keep things from me, but I could tell. She has a hard time being in a room alone when the door is closed, especially if it's small. She hates the dark. So Jason designed this amazing house with huge rooms and lots of windows. He even had a studio made especially for her, so she's painting again. She's amazing Dad. Of course, you already knew that," he added with a sad smile.

"I know you may not want to hear this, but Jake and I have a little sister. She's absolutely beautiful and all I want to do is protect her from everything. I'm completely ready to beat off anyone that comes near her. She's only six months old, but there's this little boy in her play group that I'm keeping an eye on," he said with a chuckle. "They named her Emma Rose, as a tribute to Aunt Emily and Jason's grandmother Lila. I guess she loved roses."

Cameron breathed in deeply and then continued, "Anyway Dad, there was a reason I came here today. It's a big day for me. I graduate today. It's one of those milestones that you would have been present for and I was just missing you." Cameron choked back the tears that began to constrict his throat. "Everyone's going to be there, which makes it even more obvious that you're not. So I thought I'd come here and tell you my plans, so you won't have to worry about me heading off into that big bad world," he said with a smile.

"I'm spending the summer working for Kate Howard's magazine. She got me an internship in the photography department, which is going to be a great head start for me because this fall I'm going to this great art school in New York. I wasn't even sure about applying because I didn't think I had a shot at getting in, but Mom and Da…Jason," he quickly corrected, "encouraged me to at least apply. So I sent them a portfolio of some of my work along with the application and essay and amazingly enough I got accepted."

"Molly got into her school of choice, too. You know Alexis wanted her to go to Yale and Ric wanted Harvard, so of course Molly's going to Columbia," he said with a laugh. "It's kind of weird actually, the way everything's working out. Molly's sister Sam, I think you knew her," he said quietly, "well she died about a year and half ago. Some kind of home invasion. Anyway, she left everything she had to Molly and Kristina and it turns out that she had a lot. So Molly's moving to New York too and we're getting an apartment together. In a way it feels like I'm living the dream you had with Mom. I know you guys had wanted to move to New York and live together. She would paint and you would do whatever work you could to support yourselves. We won't be as poor, but we'll be living the dream."

Cameron was quiet as he looked at the dark marble stone that refused to speak back to him. His hands absentmindedly worked on grass blades, slowly plucking them from the earth and rolling them between his fingers as he thought about his life. "I just want you to know that everything's good, Dad. Jake, Mom, and I. We're happy. I'm following my dreams with the girl I love and plan to spend the rest of my life with. You don't have to worry about us."

Cameron slowly stood and stretched his legs, wiping stray blades of grass from off his pants in a hurried motion. He breathed in deeply and reaching forward he placed a hand gently on the gravestone. "I miss you Dad," he whispered with tears in his eyes, "I love you." Then he turned and walked back the way he had come, through so many other people's pain and loss until he reached the black motorcycle parked sideways between two yellow lines. He climbed onto the machine with the ease and grace of a much practiced movement, looked back toward where he'd just come from with a wistful smile, and placing the helmet over his head, started up the engine and rode off into his future.


End file.
